U.S. patent application number 13/750727 was filed with the patent office on 2013-08-01 for method for producing biodiesel from algal lipid with dimethyl carbonate.
This patent application is currently assigned to Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Yonsei University. The applicant listed for this patent is Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Yonsei University. Invention is credited to Jangho Lee, Joonhong Park, Sung-Geun WOO.
Application Number | 20130192126 13/750727 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48869006 |
Filed Date | 2013-08-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130192126 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Park; Joonhong ; et
al. |
August 1, 2013 |
METHOD FOR PRODUCING BIODIESEL FROM ALGAL LIPID WITH DIMETHYL
CARBONATE
Abstract
The present invention relates to a method for renewable energy
production using biomass, more specifically, method for producing
eco-friendly biodiesel with algal lipid and dimethyl carbonate.
Inventors: |
Park; Joonhong; (Seoul,
KR) ; WOO; Sung-Geun; (Gyeonggi-do, KR) ; Lee;
Jangho; (Seoul, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Yonsei
University; |
Seoul |
|
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
Industry-Academic Cooperation
Foundation, Yonsei University
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
48869006 |
Appl. No.: |
13/750727 |
Filed: |
January 25, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
44/388 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C11C 3/10 20130101; Y02E
50/10 20130101; Y02E 50/13 20130101; Y02P 30/20 20151101; C10L
1/026 20130101; C10L 1/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
44/388 |
International
Class: |
C10L 1/02 20060101
C10L001/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 1, 2012 |
KR |
10-2012-0010177 |
Claims
1. A method for producing biodiesel from algal lipid with dimethyl
carbonate.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the algal lipid is extracted from
an algae with dimethyl carbonate.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the biodiesel is made by
transesterification reaction of algal lipid and dimethyl
carbonate.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the algae is cultured in
wastewater.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the algae is selected from the
genus Ankistrodesmus, the genus Scenedesmus, the genus Chlorella,
the genus Anabaena, the genus Oscillatoria, the genus Botryococcus,
the genus Neochloris, the genus Tetraselmis, the genus
Porphyridium, the genus Phaeodactylum, the genus Nannochloropsis,
the genus Ellipsoidion, the genus Isochrysis, the genus Pavlova,
the genus Thalassiosira, the genus Skeletonema, the genus
Chlorococcum, the genus Dunaliella, the genus Aphanizomenon, the
genus Haematococcus, the genus Crypthecodinium and the genus
Shizochytrium.
6. The method of claim 2, wherein the algal lipid is extracted by
the mixture ratio of algal biomass:dimethyl carbonate=1:20
(g/mL).
7. A biodiesel without glycerol, produced according to the method
of claim 1.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to method for renewable energy
production using biomass, more specifically, method for producing
eco-friendly biodiesel with algal lipid and dimethyl carbonate.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Technology for renewable energy production has been
developed using food resources or waste wood as biomass sources. In
recent years, renewable energy technology utilizing algal lipid has
been proposed.
[0005] Algae captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through
photosynthesis and has ecological positive functions to remove
pollutants of eutrophication causes such as nitrogen and phosphorus
in water. In addition, it can be obtained easily from a variety of
marine and terrestrial environments in large quantities. Therefore,
algae is an important life resource in renewable energy technology,
especially biodiesel production technology. Recently, the
technology removing nutrients in the wastewater and simultaneously
culturing algae has been suggested for biodiesel production.
[0006] Conventional production method of biodiesel, a mixture of
fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), a biodiesel, uses methanol in the
transesterification reaction of algal lipid and makes glycerol as
byproduct, as shown in following [Chemistry FIG. 1].
##STR00001##
[0007] However, as methanol and hydrophobic algal lipid are
immiscible, reaction rate of the transesterification is slow. Since
glycerol is not suitable for biodiesel, additional removal step is
essentially necessary as well.
[0008] There was different technology using solvents such as
tetrahydrofuranare, yet, the use of these solvents was not
eco-friendly. On the other hand, biodiesel production utilizing
dimethyl carbonate (DMC), a eco-friendly solvent, has the advantage
of producing no glycerol. The detailed reactions are described as
follows:
##STR00002##
[0009] The present inventors have already disclosed an algae
Ankistrodesmus gracilis cultured in wastewater such as urban sewage
or industrial wastewater (Jangho Lee and Joonhong Park, Journal of
Korean Society of Environmental Engineering, 33(5), 2011).
[0010] In order to overcome the said problems, new technology is
desperately needed to replace the existing material methanol used
in the transesterification reaction of the algal lipid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to
provide a method for producing biodiesel from algal lipid with
dimethyl carbonate.
[0012] The above object of the present invention was achieved by
extracting algal lipid with DMC and transesterification reaction of
the algal lipid with DMC.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is GC chromatogram of biodiesel obtained by
transesterification reaction of algal lipid with DMC.
[0014] FIGS. 2a-b is a result showing qualitative analysis (a) and
quantitative analysis (b) of biodiesel produced in the present
invention.
[0015] FIG. 3 is recovery efficiency of algal lipid by DMC.
[0016] FIGS. 4a-b is a result of biodiesel production depending on
the concentration of DMC (a: low concentration, b: high
concentration).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0017] The present invention relates to a method for biodiesel
production with algal lipid and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). As DMC,
an eco-friendly solvent, is hydrophobic than methanol, hydrophobic
algal lipid could be better mixed with DMC than with methanol.
Additionally, DMC could be employed for lipid extraction from algal
biomass instead of conventional organic solvents such as n-hexane.
Due to said properties, the present invention has the advantage of
increase in the reaction rate of transesterification for biodiesel
production from algal lipid.
[0018] Algal biomass could be mixed with DMC by the ratio of 1:2 to
1:100 (g/mL) for extracting algal lipid. Preferably, the mixture
ratio of biomass:DMC is 1:20 (g/mL).
[0019] Algal resources for the present invention are capable of
being cultured in wastewater having high lipid content. More
specifically, the algal resources could be selected from the genus
Ankistrodesmus, the genus Scenedesmus, the genus Chlorella, the
genus Anabaena, the genus Oscillatoria, the genus Botryococcus, the
genus Neochloris, the genus Tetraselmis, the genus Porphyridium,
the genus Phaeodactylum, the genus Nannochloropsis, the genus
Ellipsoidion, the genus Isochrysis, the genus Pavlova, the genus
Thalassiosira, the genus Skeletonema, the genus Chlorococcum, the
genus Dunaliella, the genus Aphanizomenon, the genus Haematococcus,
the genus Crypthecodinium and the genus Shizochytrium.
[0020] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described by the
following examples in more detail. However, such examples are only
to illustrate the invention and they do not restrict the present
invention.
Example 1
Extraction and Transesterification Reaction of Algal Lipid with
DMC
[0021] Ankistrodesmus gracilis SAG278-2 cultured in wastewater was
utilized to extract algal lipid.
[0022] Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) obtained from conventional
2-steps production process, which was hexane extraction/methanol
transesterification, and the present invention, which was DMC
extraction/DMC transesterification, were analyzed by Gas
Chromatography (GC)-Flame Ionized Detector (FID).
[0023] The biomass 0.5 g of Ankistrodesmus gracilis SAG278-2 was
finely chopped using a mortar. In order to extract the algal lipid,
10 mL of DMC was added into the above chopped algae and then mixed
thoroughly for 2 hours. The mixture ratio of the biomass:DMC was
1:20 (g/mL). After adding 0.6% of H.sub.2SO.sub.4
(DMC:H.sub.2SO.sub.4, v/v) into DMC phase obtained from said
extraction step, the DMC phase was reacted for 8 hours at
75.degree. C. and then it was neutralized by pH 7.5 with 1M NaOH.
To remove water left in the DMC phase, 3 g of Na.sub.2SO.sub.4 was
added, and salt and residual sediment formed were filtered with
Filter paper (Whatman No. 41). After evaporating DMC left, the
algal biodiesel 0.194 g was obtained.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, glycerol carbonate and glycerol
dicarbonate as byproducts were produced by transesterification
reaction of the algal lipid with DMC. This indicated that the
eco-friendly solvent DMC was effective in transesterification
reaction.
[0025] FIGS. 2a and 2b represent FAMEs composition and those
quantitative analysis, respectively. Compared the DMC biodiesel to
the conventional methanol biodiesel, FAMEs composition of the DMC
biodiesel was similar to the composition of the methanol biodiesel,
showing comparable properties of both biodiesels (FIG. 2a).
[0026] Meanwhile, the conventional methanol biodiesel produces
glycerol as byproduct in the transesterification reaction so that
the glycerol needs to be separated and refined. However, glycerol
carbonate and glycerol dicarbonate obtained from the
transesterification reaction of algal lipid by DMC increased the
yield of FAMEs without significant changes in biodiesel properties
(FIG. 2b).
[0027] That is, the present invention found that the eco-friendly
DMC could be applicable to not only algal lipid extraction but also
transesterification reaction. Therefore, biodiesel produced from
algal lipid with DMC has effects of more eco-friendly and fast
production process compared to the conventional methanol
biodiesel.
Example 2
Test of Lipid Content by DMC Extraction
[0028] To examine the lipid content by DMC extraction, Chlorella
vulgaris AG10032 was used to extract the algal lipid. 1 g
freeze-drying biomass of said algae was mixed with 10 mL DMC or
hexane and then extracted for 2 hours.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, lipid content of the biomass was 6.84%
for hexane extraction and 5.72% for DMC extraction. As a result,
the solvent DMC showed a comparable effect with the solvent hexane
which is one of available lipid extracting solvents.
Example 3
Test of Transesterification Rate of Algal Lipid by DMC
[0030] Using the above algae Chlorella vulgaris AG10032, the yield
of DMC biodiesel was examined in time dependent manner. For this
example, the conventional method used hexane for lipid extraction
and methanol for the transesterification reaction.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 4a, the yield of the two types of biodiesel
had no significant difference depending on the time at low
concentration of catalyst (1.25%) even though the yield of methanol
biodiesel was high at 5 min and the yield of DMC biodiesel was high
at 30 min. However, as shown in FIG. 4b, the biodiesel yield
appeared distinctly at high concentration of catalyst (2.5%). That
is, methanol biodiesel showed high yield at 5 min yet DMC biodiesel
had high yield at 30 min. Consequently, it was revealed that
transesterification rate of the DMC biodiesel was slower than the
rate of the methanol biodiesel within the initial 5 min, however
faster within 30 min after 5 min as the reaction was completed.
* * * * *