Workshop on: Green Technologies & Energy Efficiency April 26, 2017 King Faisal University College of Engineering Department of Chemical Engineering “Algae Oil Extraction by an Organic Solvent” By: Mohammad Alqahtani, Hamdan Alhamdan, Mohammad Albajhan, & Khalid Alkhaldi ABSTRACT MATERIALS / METHODS There are several methods to extract oil from algae. Organic solvent extraction is one of the most well-known methods for the extraction of algal oils. So far, various organic solvents have been used for extraction of lipids from microalgae. CONCLUSIONS Algae only requires water, air, and sunlight to reproduce. Algae can double their numbers every few hours, can be harvested daily, and have the potential to produce a volume of biomass and biofuel many times greater than that of our most productive crops. Oil is present inside of the single cell algae is trapped by the cell wall and plasma. After harvesting and drying algae, the plasma membrane weakens the cells ability to retain the oil. An organic solvent, such as hexane which is not expensive, is introduced to the dry algae sample. When the organic solvent or hexane is introduced, the oil within the cell is dissolved. Hexane mixed with oil and lipid mixture is appeared. By evaporating the hexane off, the total collection of oil is done which will leave the algae oil behind The oil is isolated and the hexane is recycled by evaporating the hexane as well as the biomass algae which is settled in the bottom of the container. The purification process takes place In this study, we focused on the organic solvent extraction of lipids from algae. This method is expected to be as a successful alternative biofuel in our country where algae is abundant. However, it is advised that more research be done to explore new methods of oil extraction for a large scale production. OBJECTIVES Alternative and renewable source of energy. Effective, and efficient fuel. Environmentally friendly method. Choosing the appropriate extracting solvent. RESULTS We got such an incredible results when we compare it with the diesel in costs, source, and calorific value. Renewability : biofuels are usually produced at farms and fuel plants which means that biofuels renewable. Low pollution : the carbon monoxide emitted by burning of biofuels is low compared to fossil fuels. Therefore making biofuels eco-friendly. Easy to use and storage: unlike other fuels REFERENCES [1] V. Patil, K.Q. Tran, H.R. Giselrod Toward sustainable production of biofuels from microalgae Int J Mol Sci, 9 (2008), pp. 1188–1195 [2] S. Sawayama, T. Minowa, S.Y. Yokoyama Possibility of renewable energy production and CO2 mitigation by thermochemical liquefaction of microalgae. INTRODUCTION   Bio-Diesel Diesel Source Algae Crude oil Cost $2.57/gallon $2.58/gallon1 Calorific value 32.37 MJ/Kg 44.8 MJ/Kg Extraction Organic Solvents Refinery Environmental concerns and alarming energy crises are the major issues of the twenty-first century. Microalgae are considered as one of the most promising resources for biodiesel production because of their unique features such as; absorbs carbon dioxide as it grows high-lipid productivity "produce up to 10 times more oil than traditional biofuel crops", ability to grow in wastewater, seawater and brackish water. Workshop on: Green Technologies & Energy Efficiency April 26, 2017