Potential utilization of Botriococcus braunii and Nannochloropsis microalgae as a biodiesel source in Indonesia

In recent years the ability of microalgae to accumulate triglycerides has motivated researchers to explore microalgae as a biodiesel source. Biodiesel is fuel from vegetable oils and animal fats that have properties resembling diesel oil. This study was aimed to determine the potential utilization of microalgae Botryococcus braunii and Nannochloropsis as raw material for biodiesel. Microalgae biomass with pH of 7 was extracted using supercritical CO₂ devices. Microalgae biomass was treated with flowing liquid CO₂ and a pressure of 90 psi at a temperature of 70°C. The super critical CO₂ could extract 13.5% and 3% of oil from Nannochloropsis and B. braunii, respectively. Using GCMS, the oil from Nannochloropsis and B. braunii contained 22.23% and 15.78% of palmitic acid.