Convert oil extracted from algae to biodiesel:
After the oil is being extracted from algae, they have to go to a biorefinery or a traditional oil refinery in order to be converted into biofuel. This can be done by dilution, micro-emulsion, pyrolysis and transesterification. After this process, the fuel can be used to make the cars running, trains moving and planes flying.
Once the oil's extracted, it's refined using fatty acid chains in a process called transesterification. Oil extracted from the algae is mixed with alcohol and an acid or a base to produce the fatty acid methylesters that makes up the biodiesel. An excess of methanol is used to force the reaction to favor the right side of the equation. The excess methanol is later recovered and reused. If biomass is grown in a sustained way, its combustion has no impact on the CO2 balance in the atmosphere, because the CO2 emitted by the burning of biomass is offset by the CO2 fixed by photosynthesis.
Once the oil's extracted, it's refined using fatty acid chains in a process called transesterification. Oil extracted from the algae is mixed with alcohol and an acid or a base to produce the fatty acid methylesters that makes up the biodiesel. An excess of methanol is used to force the reaction to favor the right side of the equation. The excess methanol is later recovered and reused. If biomass is grown in a sustained way, its combustion has no impact on the CO2 balance in the atmosphere, because the CO2 emitted by the burning of biomass is offset by the CO2 fixed by photosynthesis.