transesterification of algae oil

[ddavid]

Is algae oil turned into biodiesel by the exact same process as vegitable oil??????? Transesterification by using methanol and sodium hydroxide( lye). Or does it need some other process?

[DR Johansen]

Transesterification is one (perhaps the most common) method of producing biodiesel from algae oil; and the methanol/lye process is the most common (though not only) way to do that.

If you are considering large production, the supercritical methanol method has benefits that may outweigh its cost.

Under the green bar above is a series of tabs that provide a brief rundown of the whole process from growth thru harvesting thru extraction and refining. Have fun!

[ddavid]

Thank you for your reply. I got a little confused about the exact process used for converting algae oil. I got the impression that the process for converting algae oil was different than converting vegetable oil. It is a relief to know that it is the same process. It is not very complicated.

It would be very interesting to grow my own fuel. People could just start growing and processing there own fuel. Very interesting. Could change the world.

[DR Johansen]

You are most welcome!

It has always struck me that the hardest part is getting the lipids out of the cell. I sure wish I could find someone with a supercritical CO2 extractor to try that method out.