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Research Publications (Applied Sciences)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/213

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    Investigation of combined effect of nitrogen, phosphorus and iron on lipid productivity of microalgae Ankistrodesmus falcatus KJ671624 using response surface methodology
    (Elsevier, 2015-02-15) Singh, Poonam; Guldhe, Abhishek; Kumari, Sheena K.; Rawat, Ismail; Bux, Faizal
    Enhancement of lipid accumulation is essential to improve the commercial feasibility of microalgal biodiesel production. An oleaginous microalgal strain, Ankistrodesmus falcatus KJ671624 was evaluated for its potential as a biodiesel feedstock in this study. The collective effect of nutrient (nitrogen, phospho-rous and iron) stresses on the lipid productivity of the selected strain was studied by response surface methodology. The highest lipid content of 59.6% and lipid productivity of 74.07 mg L−1 d−1 was obtained under nutrient stress with nitrogen 750 mg L−1, phosphorus 0 mg L−1 and iron 9 mg L−1. The photosyn-thetic behaviour validates the high lipid productivity under combined nutrient stress condition. Saturated fatty acid composition was increased by 38.49% under selected nutrient stress condition compared to BG11 medium. The enhanced lipid accumulation with suitable lipid profile (C16:0, C18:1, C18:2, C18:3) and biodiesel conversion of 91.54 ± 1.43% achieved in A. falcatus KJ671624 further confirm its potential as a promising feedstock for biodiesel production.
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    Biodiesel synthesis from microalgae using immobilized Aspergillus niger whole cell lipase biocatalyst
    (Elsevier, 2016) Guldhe, Abhishek; Singh, Poonam; Kumari, Sheena K.; Rawat, Ismail; Permaul, Kugen; Bux, Faizal
    Whole cell lipase catalysis and microalgal feedstocks make overall biodiesel synthesis greener and sustainable. In this study, a novel approach of whole cell lipase-catalyzed conversion of Scenedesmus obliquus lipids was investigated for biodiesel synthesis. Microalgal biodiesel was characterized for its fuel properties. Optimization of process parameters for immobilized Aspergillus niger whole cell lipase-catalyzed biodiesel synthesis was carried out. Highest biodiesel conversion of 53.76% was achieved from S. obliquus lipids at 35 °C, methanol to oil ratio of 5:1 and 2.5% water content based on oil weight with 6 BSPs (Biomass support particles). Step-wise methanol addition was applied to account for methanol tolerance, which improved biodiesel conversion upto 80.97% and gave 90.82 ± 1.43% yield. Immobilized A. niger lipase can be used for 2 batches without significant loss in conversion efficiency. Most of the fuel properties of biodiesel met the specifications set by international standards.