Fatty Acids, Hydrocarbons and Terpenes of Nannochloropsis and Nannochloris Isolates with Potential for Biofuel Production

Alan Rodrigo López-Rosales, Katia Ancona-Canché, Juan Carlos Chavarria-Hernandez, Felipe Barahona-Pérez, Tanit Toledano-Thompson, Gloria Garduño-Solórzano, Silvia López-Adrian, Blondy Canto-Canché, Erik Polanco-Lugo and Ruby Valdez-Ojeda
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Alan Rodrigo López-Rosales: Unidad de Energía Renovable, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C., Parque Científico y Tecnológico del Estado de Yucatán, Carretera Sierra Papacal-Chuburná Puerto, Yucatán 97302, Mexico
Katia Ancona-Canché: Unidad de Energía Renovable, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C., Parque Científico y Tecnológico del Estado de Yucatán, Carretera Sierra Papacal-Chuburná Puerto, Yucatán 97302, Mexico
Juan Carlos Chavarria-Hernandez: Unidad de Energía Renovable, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C., Parque Científico y Tecnológico del Estado de Yucatán, Carretera Sierra Papacal-Chuburná Puerto, Yucatán 97302, Mexico
Felipe Barahona-Pérez: Unidad de Energía Renovable, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C., Parque Científico y Tecnológico del Estado de Yucatán, Carretera Sierra Papacal-Chuburná Puerto, Yucatán 97302, Mexico
Tanit Toledano-Thompson: Unidad de Energía Renovable, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C., Parque Científico y Tecnológico del Estado de Yucatán, Carretera Sierra Papacal-Chuburná Puerto, Yucatán 97302, Mexico
Gloria Garduño-Solórzano: Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, UNAM. Tlalnepantla, Edo. de México 54090, Mexico
Silvia López-Adrian: Facultad de Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán. Mérida, Yucatán 97288, Mexico
Blondy Canto-Canché: Unidad de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C., Parque Científico y Tecnológico del Estado de Yucatán, Carretera Sierra Papacal-Chuburná Puerto, Yucatán 97302, Mexico
Erik Polanco-Lugo: Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco, Unidad Sureste, Parque Científico y Tecnológico del Estado de Yucatán, Carretera Sierra Papacal-Chuburná Puerto, Yucatán 97302, Mexico
Ruby Valdez-Ojeda: Unidad de Energía Renovable, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C., Parque Científico y Tecnológico del Estado de Yucatán, Carretera Sierra Papacal-Chuburná Puerto, Yucatán 97302, Mexico

Energies, 2018, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-21

Abstract: Marine microalgae are a promising feedstock for biofuel production given their high growth rates and biomass production together with cost reductions due to the use of seawater for culture preparation. However, different microalgae species produce different families of compounds. Some compounds could be used directly as fuels, while others require thermochemical processing to obtain quality biofuels. This work focuses on the characterization of three marine microalgae strains native in Mexico and reported for the first time. Ultrastructure and phylogenetic analysis, suggested that they belong to Nannochloropsis sp. (NSRE-1 and NSRE-2) and Nannochloris sp. (NRRE-1). The composition of their lipid fractions included hydrocarbons, triacylglycerides (TAGs), free fatty acids (FFAs) and terpenes. Based on theoretical estimations from TAG and FFA composition, the potential biodiesels were found to comply with six of the seven estimated properties (ASTM D6751 and EN 14214). On the other hand, hydrocarbons and terpenes synthesized by the strains have outstanding potential as precursors for the production of other renewable fuels, mainly green diesel and bio-jet fuel, which are “drop-in” fuels with quality properties similar to fossil fuels. The validity of this theoretical analysis was demonstrated for the oxygenates of strain NSRE-2, which were experimentally hydrodeoxygenated, obtaining a high-quality renewable diesel as the reaction product.

Keywords: biodiesel; bio-jet fuel; triacylglycerides; Fatty Acid Methyl Ester; lipids; hydrodeoxygenation; drop-in fuel (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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