Ajuste experimental y evaluación económica de la extracción HBE de aceite de microalgas para biocombustibles y bioproductos

Abstract

The continual increase of fossil fuel prices, and the environmental impact caused by them, has generated the requirement for new renewable environmental-friendly sources. No wonder why, nowadays microalgae biofuels has aroused a particular interest, due to the small farming areas they need, they can grow in several kinds of water and they ensure a large biodiesel production because their high lipid content. This work shows the influence of temperature, time and relationship between biomass/solvent variables in the lipid microalgae extraction at laboratory scale and a preliminary cost analysis for a pilot-scale production plant is exposed. The best work conditions were found and there are an eight-hour extraction spam, a relevance biomass/solvent of 1/40 and 40°C. However, the statistical analysis showed that there is just one significant influence variable on the process and it is the relevance biomass/solvent. In the preliminary cost analysis, it was found that the oil price to become the process a rental one should approximately be 30.5 USD/kg, this is a higher value compared with conventionally biodiesel production used oils. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]