Journal article
Energy evaluation of algal cell disruption by high pressure homogenisation
Benjamin HJ Yap, Geoff J Dumsday, Peter J Scales, Gregory JO Martin
Bioresource Technology | Elsevier | Published : 2015
Abstract
The energy consumption of high pressure homogenisation (HPH) was analysed to determine the feasibility of rupturing algal cells for biodiesel production. Experimentally, the processing capacity (i.e. flow rate), power draw and cell disruption efficiency of HPH were independent of feed concentration (for Nannochloropsis sp. up to 25% w/w solids). Depending on the homogenisation pressure (60–150 MPa), the solids concentration (0.25–25% w/w), and triacylglyceride (TAG) content of the harvested algal biomass (10–30%), the energy consumed by HPH represented between 6% and 110-times the energy density of the resulting biodiesel. Provided the right species (weak cell wall and high TAG content) is s..
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Funding Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of an Australian Postgraduate Award and a Melbourne Materials Institute (MMI)-CSIRO Material Science PhD Scholarship. We are also grateful to Aurora Algae for provision of the microalgal paste and to Dr. Ronald Halim for his useful discussions and contributions to the project. The financial and in-kind laboratory support of the Particulate Fluids Processing Centre, a Special Research Centre of the Australian Research Council, is also acknowledged.