Assessing the Production of Algal Biodiesel as a supplement to Fossil Fuel
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Date
2025-04-11
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Uganda Christian University
Abstract
The increase in dependence on fossil fuels in Uganda has been associated to the ever increasing population and is contributed to by rural-urban migration, as well as increased urbanization that causes increase in activities such as industrialization. The increasing strain on these fossil fuels, and the increase in their effects on the environment, infrastructure, as well as human beings has led to the need for renewable energy sources and the significant interest in algal bio-diesel. This study investigates the potential of three algae species, - Nannochloropsis, Chlorella Vulgaris and Botryococcus Braunii, for bio-diesel production. The algae was cultivated in similar conditions and the growth rates were monitored for each species using a manual stick measurement technique. Lipid extraction was performed using solvent extraction method to determine the lipid yield for each species with different solvent mixes and bio-diesel was synthesized through trans-esterification. The results showed that Nannochloropsis and Chlorella Vulgaris exhibited the highest growth rate while Nannochloropsis also had the highest lipid content and bio-diesel yield. Botryococcus Braunii had the lowest growth rate and lipid yield. A multi-criteria decision analysis using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was conducted to evaluate the best species based on growth performance, ease of culturing, lipid content and bio-diesel yield. The analysis identified Nannochloropsis as the most suitable option for bio-diesel production and the obtained bio-diesel was analyzed for key fuel properties, including cetane number, density, kinematic viscosity, flash point and copper strip corrosion following ASTM and EN standards. The study highlights the potential of algae as a sustainable feed-stock for bio-diesel production and emphasizes the need for further research on large scale cultivation and process optimization to enhance feasibility.
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