Cultivation, characterization, and properties of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae with different lipid contents and effect on fast pyrolysis oil composition

Ioannis Dimosthenis Adamakis; Polykarpos A. Lazaridis; Evangelia Terzopoulou; Stylianos Torofias; Maria Valari; Photeini Kalaitzi; Vasilis Rousonikolos; Dimitris Gkoutzikostas; Anastasios Zouboulis; Georgios Zalidis; Konstantinos S. Triantafyllidis

doi:10.1007/s11356-018-2368-5

Cultivation, characterization, and properties of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae with different lipid contents and effect on fast pyrolysis oil composition

Ioannis Dimosthenis Adamakis, Polykarpos A. Lazaridis, Evangelia Terzopoulou, Stylianos Torofias, Maria Valari, Photeini Kalaitzi, Vasilis Rousonikolos, Dimitris Gkoutzikostas, Anastasios Zouboulis, Georgios Zalidis^*, Konstantinos S. Triantafyllidis

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

58 Scopus citations

Abstract

A systematic study of the effect of nitrogen levels in the cultivation medium of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae grown in photobioreactor (PBR) on biomass productivity, biochemical and elemental composition, fatty acid profile, heating value (HHV), and composition of the algae-derived fast pyrolysis (bio-oil) is presented in this work. A relatively high biomass productivity and cell concentration (1.5 g of dry biomass per liter of cultivation medium and 120 × 10⁶ cells/ml, respectively) were achieved after 30 h of cultivation under N-rich medium. On the other hand, the highest lipid content (ca. 36 wt.% on dry biomass) was obtained under N-depletion cultivation conditions. The medium and low N levels favored also the increased concentration of the saturated and mono-unsaturated C16:0 and C18:1(n-9) fatty acids (FA) in the lipid/oil fraction, thus providing a raw lipid feedstock that can be more efficiently converted to high-quality biodiesel or green diesel (via hydrotreatment). In terms of overall lipid productivity, taking in consideration both the biomass concentration in the medium and the content of lipids on dry biomass, the most effective system was the N-rich one. The thermal (non-catalytic) pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae produced a highly complex bio-oil composition, including fatty acids, phenolics, ethers, ketones, etc., as well as aromatics, alkanes, and nitrogen compounds (pyrroles and amides), originating from the lipid, protein, and carbohydrate fractions of the microalgae. However, the catalytic fast pyrolysis using a highly acidic ZSM-5 zeolite, afforded a bio-oil enriched in mono-aromatics (BTX), reducing at the same time significantly oxygenated compounds such as phenolics, acids, ethers, and ketones. These effects were even more pronounced in the catalytic fast pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris residual biomass (after extraction of lipids), thus showing for the first time the potential of transforming this low value by-product towards high added value platform chemicals.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	23018-23032
Number of pages	15
Journal	Environmental Science and Pollution Research
Volume	25
Issue number	23
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2368-5
State	Published - 1 Aug 2018
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

Keywords

Aromatic hydrocarbons
Chlorella vulgaris
Fast pyrolysis and catalytic fast pyrolysis
Lipids and residual biomass
Microalgae
Nitrogen-depleted cultivation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Environmental Chemistry
Pollution
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1007/s11356-018-2368-5

Cite this

Adamakis, I. D., Lazaridis, P. A., Terzopoulou, E., Torofias, S., Valari, M., Kalaitzi, P., Rousonikolos, V., Gkoutzikostas, D., Zouboulis, A., Zalidis, G., & Triantafyllidis, K. S. (2018). Cultivation, characterization, and properties of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae with different lipid contents and effect on fast pyrolysis oil composition. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 25(23), 23018-23032. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2368-5

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title = "Cultivation, characterization, and properties of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae with different lipid contents and effect on fast pyrolysis oil composition",

abstract = "A systematic study of the effect of nitrogen levels in the cultivation medium of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae grown in photobioreactor (PBR) on biomass productivity, biochemical and elemental composition, fatty acid profile, heating value (HHV), and composition of the algae-derived fast pyrolysis (bio-oil) is presented in this work. A relatively high biomass productivity and cell concentration (1.5 g of dry biomass per liter of cultivation medium and 120 × 106 cells/ml, respectively) were achieved after 30 h of cultivation under N-rich medium. On the other hand, the highest lipid content (ca. 36 wt.\% on dry biomass) was obtained under N-depletion cultivation conditions. The medium and low N levels favored also the increased concentration of the saturated and mono-unsaturated C16:0 and C18:1(n-9) fatty acids (FA) in the lipid/oil fraction, thus providing a raw lipid feedstock that can be more efficiently converted to high-quality biodiesel or green diesel (via hydrotreatment). In terms of overall lipid productivity, taking in consideration both the biomass concentration in the medium and the content of lipids on dry biomass, the most effective system was the N-rich one. The thermal (non-catalytic) pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae produced a highly complex bio-oil composition, including fatty acids, phenolics, ethers, ketones, etc., as well as aromatics, alkanes, and nitrogen compounds (pyrroles and amides), originating from the lipid, protein, and carbohydrate fractions of the microalgae. However, the catalytic fast pyrolysis using a highly acidic ZSM-5 zeolite, afforded a bio-oil enriched in mono-aromatics (BTX), reducing at the same time significantly oxygenated compounds such as phenolics, acids, ethers, and ketones. These effects were even more pronounced in the catalytic fast pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris residual biomass (after extraction of lipids), thus showing for the first time the potential of transforming this low value by-product towards high added value platform chemicals.",

keywords = "Aromatic hydrocarbons, Chlorella vulgaris, Fast pyrolysis and catalytic fast pyrolysis, Lipids and residual biomass, Microalgae, Nitrogen-depleted cultivation",

author = "Adamakis, \{Ioannis Dimosthenis\} and Lazaridis, \{Polykarpos A.\} and Evangelia Terzopoulou and Stylianos Torofias and Maria Valari and Photeini Kalaitzi and Vasilis Rousonikolos and Dimitris Gkoutzikostas and Anastasios Zouboulis and Georgios Zalidis and Triantafyllidis, \{Konstantinos S.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.",

year = "2018",

month = aug,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1007/s11356-018-2368-5",

language = "English",

volume = "25",

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Adamakis, ID, Lazaridis, PA, Terzopoulou, E, Torofias, S, Valari, M, Kalaitzi, P, Rousonikolos, V, Gkoutzikostas, D, Zouboulis, A, Zalidis, G & Triantafyllidis, KS 2018, 'Cultivation, characterization, and properties of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae with different lipid contents and effect on fast pyrolysis oil composition', Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol. 25, no. 23, pp. 23018-23032. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2368-5

Cultivation, characterization, and properties of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae with different lipid contents and effect on fast pyrolysis oil composition. / Adamakis, Ioannis Dimosthenis; Lazaridis, Polykarpos A.; Terzopoulou, Evangelia et al.
In: Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Vol. 25, No. 23, 01.08.2018, p. 23018-23032.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Cultivation, characterization, and properties of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae with different lipid contents and effect on fast pyrolysis oil composition

AU - Adamakis, Ioannis Dimosthenis

AU - Lazaridis, Polykarpos A.

AU - Terzopoulou, Evangelia

AU - Torofias, Stylianos

AU - Valari, Maria

AU - Kalaitzi, Photeini

AU - Rousonikolos, Vasilis

AU - Gkoutzikostas, Dimitris

AU - Zouboulis, Anastasios

AU - Zalidis, Georgios

AU - Triantafyllidis, Konstantinos S.

PY - 2018/8/1

Y1 - 2018/8/1

N2 - A systematic study of the effect of nitrogen levels in the cultivation medium of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae grown in photobioreactor (PBR) on biomass productivity, biochemical and elemental composition, fatty acid profile, heating value (HHV), and composition of the algae-derived fast pyrolysis (bio-oil) is presented in this work. A relatively high biomass productivity and cell concentration (1.5 g of dry biomass per liter of cultivation medium and 120 × 106 cells/ml, respectively) were achieved after 30 h of cultivation under N-rich medium. On the other hand, the highest lipid content (ca. 36 wt.% on dry biomass) was obtained under N-depletion cultivation conditions. The medium and low N levels favored also the increased concentration of the saturated and mono-unsaturated C16:0 and C18:1(n-9) fatty acids (FA) in the lipid/oil fraction, thus providing a raw lipid feedstock that can be more efficiently converted to high-quality biodiesel or green diesel (via hydrotreatment). In terms of overall lipid productivity, taking in consideration both the biomass concentration in the medium and the content of lipids on dry biomass, the most effective system was the N-rich one. The thermal (non-catalytic) pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae produced a highly complex bio-oil composition, including fatty acids, phenolics, ethers, ketones, etc., as well as aromatics, alkanes, and nitrogen compounds (pyrroles and amides), originating from the lipid, protein, and carbohydrate fractions of the microalgae. However, the catalytic fast pyrolysis using a highly acidic ZSM-5 zeolite, afforded a bio-oil enriched in mono-aromatics (BTX), reducing at the same time significantly oxygenated compounds such as phenolics, acids, ethers, and ketones. These effects were even more pronounced in the catalytic fast pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris residual biomass (after extraction of lipids), thus showing for the first time the potential of transforming this low value by-product towards high added value platform chemicals.

AB - A systematic study of the effect of nitrogen levels in the cultivation medium of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae grown in photobioreactor (PBR) on biomass productivity, biochemical and elemental composition, fatty acid profile, heating value (HHV), and composition of the algae-derived fast pyrolysis (bio-oil) is presented in this work. A relatively high biomass productivity and cell concentration (1.5 g of dry biomass per liter of cultivation medium and 120 × 106 cells/ml, respectively) were achieved after 30 h of cultivation under N-rich medium. On the other hand, the highest lipid content (ca. 36 wt.% on dry biomass) was obtained under N-depletion cultivation conditions. The medium and low N levels favored also the increased concentration of the saturated and mono-unsaturated C16:0 and C18:1(n-9) fatty acids (FA) in the lipid/oil fraction, thus providing a raw lipid feedstock that can be more efficiently converted to high-quality biodiesel or green diesel (via hydrotreatment). In terms of overall lipid productivity, taking in consideration both the biomass concentration in the medium and the content of lipids on dry biomass, the most effective system was the N-rich one. The thermal (non-catalytic) pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae produced a highly complex bio-oil composition, including fatty acids, phenolics, ethers, ketones, etc., as well as aromatics, alkanes, and nitrogen compounds (pyrroles and amides), originating from the lipid, protein, and carbohydrate fractions of the microalgae. However, the catalytic fast pyrolysis using a highly acidic ZSM-5 zeolite, afforded a bio-oil enriched in mono-aromatics (BTX), reducing at the same time significantly oxygenated compounds such as phenolics, acids, ethers, and ketones. These effects were even more pronounced in the catalytic fast pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris residual biomass (after extraction of lipids), thus showing for the first time the potential of transforming this low value by-product towards high added value platform chemicals.

KW - Aromatic hydrocarbons

KW - Chlorella vulgaris

KW - Fast pyrolysis and catalytic fast pyrolysis

KW - Lipids and residual biomass

KW - Microalgae

KW - Nitrogen-depleted cultivation

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85047959233

U2 - 10.1007/s11356-018-2368-5

DO - 10.1007/s11356-018-2368-5

M3 - Article

C2 - 29859001

AN - SCOPUS:85047959233

SN - 0944-1344

VL - 25

SP - 23018

EP - 23032

JO - Environmental Science and Pollution Research

JF - Environmental Science and Pollution Research

IS - 23

ER -

Cultivation, characterization, and properties of Chlorella vulgaris microalgae with different lipid contents and effect on fast pyrolysis oil composition

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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