CO 2 process intensification of algae oil extraction to biodiesel

Algae‐to‐biodiesel processes are hindered by high costs and low energy return on investment. 1,2 . Herein, three foci in research improve algae‐to‐biodiesel processes by: (1) reducing high installation and energy costs in the CO 2 sequestration, cultivation, and harvesting stages; (2) improving oil extraction and biodiesel generation; and (3) increasing utilization of the proteins in lipid‐extracted biomass (e.g., for animal feed), as well as the omega‐3 fatty acids for nutraceuticals and food supplements. A process is introduced that uses carbon dioxide to aid in all three of these foci. CO 2 is used first in the form of microbubbles to lyse algae cell walls, releasing triglyceride oils. CO 2 also aids with transesterification of these triglycerides using methanol. At low temperatures (353.15–368.15 K) and intermediate pressures (5–10 MMPa), carbon dioxide causes methanol to dissolve partially in the triglyceride phase and triglyceride to dissolve partially in the methanol phase, increasing the transesterification reaction rate. Due to the nondestructive nature of these processes, other metabolites can also be harvested providing improvements in both mass and economic efficiency with an overall sharp reduction in the modeled price of biodiesel.