Oil Algae Extraction of Selected Microalgae Species Grown in Monoculture and Mixed Cultures for Biodiesel Production

Abstract

The idea of using microalgae as a bio-source of biodiesel is being taken seriously because of the escalating price of fossil fuel. As the tropical country, which gets the sun a year round, Indonesia has big potential for cultivating microalgae in large scale, as biodiesel feedstock. This study examines the algal oil extraction of selected monoculture microalgae species of Botryococcus braunii, Nannochloropsis sp., Arthrospira platensis and mixed cultures microalgae from South Coast of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Among all species of microalgae studied, Nannochloropsis sp. was found to have the highest algal oil yield (0.0346 g dry algal oil/g dry microalgae) and theoretical calorific value (187.69 kcal/kg dry microalgae).