Production of Biodiesel and Biohydrogen from Microalgae
Abstract:
For years, the impact of burning fossil fuels on climate change and resource scarcity has been significant. Consequently, sustainable alternatives such as biofuel and glycerol production from algae, particularly microalgae with its high lipid content and rapid growth, have gained traction as promising solutions. The proposed plant focuses on processing feed oil from Chlorella Vulgaris into biodiesel and hydrogen for a growing market. The plant comprises two main areas. The first starts the process by reacting the feed oil with methanol in a transesterification reaction, yielding biodiesel and glycerol as a byproduct. These products are then separated, with a transesterification reactor and a distillation column playing crucial roles. The second area of the plant handles the conversion of glycerol byproduct into hydrogen. This involves two key units: a reactor that decomposes glycerol into hydrogen and carbon monoxide under high temperature and pressure, followed by another reactor that facilitates the water-gas shift reaction, converting residual carbon monoxide into more usable hydrogen.
Students:
Pierre-Christof Ascherl, Savana Bosco, Maxine Brown, Manaswini Dias
