Analytical Approaches for the Detailed Characterization of Microalgal Lipid Extracts for the Production of Biodiesel

Abstract

Many species of microalgae produce significant amounts of triacylglycerides (TAGs), the key product for biodiesel production. The lipid characteristics of microalgae are known to differ between species and change with growth conditions. Increasing TAG production by microalgae through optimization of growth regimes is of great interest as it is a convenient feedstock for biofuel production. Microalgae have the ability to synthesize and accumulate high levels of TAGs in specialized lipid bodies located in the cytoplasm and to a lesser extent in the chloroplast. In this chapter we first summarize the key lipids in microalgae, that is, the saponifiable lipids including neutral glycerolipids (NL;..