Chromatographic characterization of triacylglycerides and fatty acid methyl esters in microalgae oils for biodiesel production

The fatty acid methyl ester and triacylglyceride content of the oils of seven microalgae species were analyzed by gas chromatography in order to predict the influence of fatty acid content on the physicochemical properties of biodiesel. Among the seven species examined, Chlorella minutissima and Arthrospira platensis showed biodiesel production potential, while fatty acids from Chlorella vulgaris, Cyclotella sp., Cylindrotheca closterium, Entomoneis alata, and A. platensis have great economic values, with application in the pharmaceutical and food industries. The oxidative stability of the biodiesel produced from C. minutissima will be high, but there will be problems with cold filter plugging point temperatures. These can be solved by mixing C. minutissima biodiesel with a biodiesel like that from Ankistrodesmus gracilis that is rich in di- or tri-unsaturated fatty acids. Triacylglyceride analysis made it possible to tell if a microalgae oil is composed mainly of triacylglycerides or of some other class ...