EXTRACTION AND EVALUATION OF OIL FROM GREEN ALGAE CLADOPHORA GLOMERATA BY HEXANE/ETHER MIXTURE

Abstract

The overall aim of this study was to grow green algae Cladophora glomerata, extract oil from it, and characterize the extracted oil to gain insight into its physicochemical properties. The effects of parameters affecting the solvent extraction process, temperature, time and biomass particle size were investigated at a fixed solvent ratio of 4:1 hexane to ether. An optimization of oil separation from algae biomass via the solvent extraction method was studied. The obtained results showed that at the extraction temperature of 60 oC, extraction time of 2.5 h, and the particle size of ≤0.6 mm, the maximum oil yield was 18.3% from the process. The functional group analysis revealed the presence of alkane, esters, carboxylic acid, and unsaturated groups on the extracted oil, while the result from the fatty acid profile analysis confirmed the dominance of oleic acid. The physicochemical properties of the extracted algal oil conformed to the ASTM standard.