Hydrothermal Liquefaction and Gasification of Nannochloropsis sp.

We converted the marine microalga Nannochloropsis sp. into a crude bio-oil product and a gaseous product via hydrothermal processing from 200 to 500 °C and a batch holding time of 60 min. A moderate temperature of 350 °C led to the highest bio-oil yield of 43 wt %. We estimate the heating value of the bio-oil to be about 39 MJ kg−1, which is comparable to that of a petroleum crude oil. The H/C and O/C ratios for the bio-oil decreased from 1.73 and 0.12, respectively, for the 200 °C product to 1.04 and 0.05, respectively, for the 500 °C product. Major bio-oil constituents include phenol and its alkylated derivatives, heterocyclic N-containing compounds, long-chain fatty acids, alkanes and alkenes, and…

• DO
  Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems
• DO
  Division of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation