Investigation on Pyrolysis of Low Lipid Microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Dunaliella salina
Abstract
Chlorella vulgaris and Dunaliella salina are two kinds of microalgae, which are widely distributed in China. Thermal decomposition of low-lipid C. vulgaris and D. salina were performed using thermogravimetric analysis. The effect of heating rates on pyrolytic characteristics was investigated, and thermal decomposition kinetics was determined as well. Furthermore, pyrolysis experiments were carried out on a fixed-bed reactor. The gas, char, and tar yields were analyzed, and the mass balance was from 88.4 to 96.8%. C. vulgaris had higher H 2 yields and lower CH 4 yields than D. salina during pyrolysis. The theoretical calorific value of the pyrolytic gas of D. salina was higher than that of C. vulgaris because D. salina had a higher amount of high heating value components, such as C 2 H 6, C 2 H 4, and C 2 H 2 . The biochar from microalgae had a smaller Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area than the char from pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. Highest yields of pyrolytic oil were 49.2 and 55.4% (water-free basis) for C. vulgaris and D. salina at 500 °C, respectively. The characteristics of bio-oil from microalgae pyrolysis, including water content, density, acidity, and heating value, were investigated as well as the chemical composition at different pyrolysis temperatures. The microalgae pyrolytic oil was found to have significant levels of alkanes, alkenes, alkines, and esters and be particularly high in nitrogenous compounds. In comparison to the bio-oils from common lignocellulosic biomass, the microalgae oil had lower oxygen and water contents, a lower total acid number, and a higher heating value.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Fast pyrolysis of Chlorella vulgaris and Dunaliella salina at 500 °C gave 49.2% and 55.4% bio-oil yields, respectively.
“For example, fast pyrolysis (FP) of Chlorella vulgaris and Dunaliella salina at 500 ◦ C temperature gave 49.2% and 55.4% bio-oil yields, respectively [101].”
From Key Targets for Improving Algal Biofuel Production (2021) · cites this paper as [101]
Cites
Colorimetric Method for Determination of Sugars and Related Substances
DuBois, M., Gilles, K. A., Hamilton, J. K., Rebers, P. A., & Smith, F. (1956) · Analytical Chemistry · doi:10.1021/ac60111a017 · Cited by 52,269 · see citing works
Pyrolysis of Wood/Biomass for Bio-oil: A Critical Review
Mohan, D., Pittman, C. U., & Steele, P. H. (2006) · Energy & Fuels · doi:10.1021/ef0502397 · Cited by 5,663 · see citing works
Overview of Applications of Biomass Fast Pyrolysis Oil
Czernik, S., & Bridgwater, A. (2004) · Energy & Fuels · doi:10.1021/ef034067u · Cited by 2,880 · see citing works
Freeman, E. S., & Carroll, B. (1958) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry · doi:10.1021/j150562a003 · Cited by 1,784 · see citing works
An overview of fast pyrolysis of biomass
Bridgwater, A. V., Meier, D., & Radlein, D. S. A. G. (1999) · Organic Geochemistry · doi:10.1016/s0146-6380(99)00120-5 · Cited by 1,753 · see citing works
CO2 bio-mitigation using microalgae
Wang, B., Li, Y., Wu, N., & Lan, C. Q. (2008) · Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology · doi:10.1007/s00253-008-1518-y · Cited by 1,216 · see citing works
Deconstruction of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Fuels and Chemicals
Chundawat, S. P. S., Beckham, G. T., Himmel, M. E., & Dale, B. E. (2011) · Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering · doi:10.1146/annurev-chembioeng-061010-114205 · Cited by 1,017 · see citing works
Overview of fuel properties of biomass fast pyrolysis oils
Lü, Q., Li, W., & Zhu, X.-F. (2009) · Energy Conversion and Management · doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2009.01.001 · Cited by 850 · see citing works
Characterization of biochar from fast pyrolysis and gasification systems
Brewer, C. E., Schmidt‐Rohr, K., Satrio, J. A., & Brown, R. C. (2009) · Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy · doi:10.1002/ep.10378 · Cited by 836 · see citing works
Seaweeds: Their Productivity and Strategy for Growth
Mann, K. H. (1973) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.182.4116.975 · Cited by 820 · see citing works
Biodiesel production—current state of the art and challenges
Vasudevan, P. T., & Briggs, M. (2008) · Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology · doi:10.1007/s10295-008-0312-2 · Cited by 725 · see citing works
A green light for engineered algae: redirecting metabolism to fuel a biotechnology revolution
Rosenberg, J. N., Oyler, G. A., Wilkinson, L., & Betenbaugh, M. J. (2008) · Current Opinion in Biotechnology · doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2008.07.008 · Cited by 631 · see citing works
Biotechnological potential of immobilized algae for wastewater N, P and metal removal: A review
Mallick, N. (2002) · BioMetals · doi:10.1023/a:1020238520948 · Cited by 571 · see citing works
Fast pyrolysis of microalgae to produce renewable fuels
Miao, X., Wu, Q., & Yang, C. (2004) · Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis · doi:10.1016/j.jaap.2003.11.004 · Cited by 568 · see citing works
Catalytic hydroprocessing of biomass fast pyrolysis bio‐oil to produce hydrocarbon products
Elliott, D. C., Hart, T. R., Neuenschwander, G. G., Rotness, L. J., & Zacher, A. H. (2009) · Environmental Progress & Sustainable Energy · doi:10.1002/ep.10384 · Cited by 398 · see citing works
Kinetics of pyrolysis, combustion and gasification of three biomass fuels
Senneca, O. (2006) · Fuel Processing Technology · doi:10.1016/j.fuproc.2006.09.002 · Cited by 359 · see citing works
Fast pyrolysis of microalgae remnants in a fluidized bed reactor for bio-oil and biochar production
Wang, K., Brown, R. C., Homsy, S. L., Martínez, L. E. C., & Sidhu, S. S. (2012) · Bioresource Technology · doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2012.08.016 · Cited by 354 · see citing works
The direct pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis of Nannochloropsis sp. residue for renewable bio-oils
Pan, P., Hu, C., Yang, W., Li, Y., Dong, L., Zhu, L., Tong, D., Qing, R., & Fan, Y. (2010) · Bioresource Technology · doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2010.01.070 · Cited by 336 · see citing works
Resource demand implications for us algae biofuels production scale-up
Pate, R., Klise, G., & Wu, B. (2011) · Applied Energy · doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2011.04.023 · Cited by 315 · see citing works
Acidity of Biomass Fast Pyrolysis Bio-oils
Oasmaa, A., Elliott, D. C., & Korhonen, J. (2010) · Energy & Fuels · doi:10.1021/ef100935r · Cited by 295 · see citing works
Kinetic analyses of biomass pyrolysis using the distributed activation energy model
SONOBE, T., & Worasuwannarak, N. (2007) · Fuel · doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2007.05.004 · Cited by 294 · see citing works
Production of bio-oil from fixed bed pyrolysis of bagasse
Asadullah, M., Rahman, M. A., Ali, M. M., Rahman, M. S., Motin, M. A., Sultan, M. B., & Alam, M. R. (2007) · Fuel · doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2007.02.007 · Cited by 292 · see citing works
Criteria to Select Biochars for Field Studies based on Biochar Chemical Properties
Brewer, C. E., Unger, R., Schmidt‐Rohr, K., & Brown, R. C. (2011) · BioEnergy Research · doi:10.1007/s12155-011-9133-7 · Cited by 287 · see citing works
Fang, M., Shen, D., Li, Y. X., Yu, C. J., Luo, Z., & Cen, K. F. (2006) · Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis · doi:10.1016/j.jaap.2005.12.010 · Cited by 243 · see citing works
Optimization of accelerated solvent extraction of antioxidants from Spirulina platensis microalga
Herrero, M., Martín‐Álvarez, P. J., Señoráns, F. J., Cifuentes, A., & Ibáñez, E. (2004) · Food Chemistry · doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2004.09.037 · Cited by 235 · see citing works
Supercritical CO2 extraction of carotenoids and other lipids from Chlorella vulgaris
Mendes, R. L., Fernandes, H. L., Coelho, J. P., Reis, E. C., Cabral, J. M. S., Novais, J. M., & Palavra, A. M. F. (1995) · Food Chemistry · doi:10.1016/0308-8146(95)95794-7 · Cited by 211 · see citing works
Thermal behaviour of coal/biomass blends during co-pyrolysis
Vuthaluru, H. B. (2003) · Fuel Processing Technology · doi:10.1016/s0378-3820(03)00112-7 · Cited by 171 · see citing works
Oasmaa, A., Leppämäki, E., Koponen, P., et al. (1997) · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Advances in Chemical Engineering
Nawaz, Z., & Naveed, S. (2012) · InTech eBooks · doi:10.5772/2068 · Cited by 131 · see citing works
Peng, W., Wu, Q., & Tu, P. (2000) · Journal of Applied Phycology · doi:10.1023/a:1008115025002 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
Liquid fuel (oil) from halophilic algae: A renewable source of non-polluting energy
Ginzburg, B. Z. (1993) · Renewable Energy · doi:10.1016/0960-1481(93)90031-b · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Combustion fundamentals of pyrolysis oil based fuels
Calabria, R., Chiariello, F., & Massoli, P. (2006) · Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science · doi:10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2006.04.010 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Heating process characteristics and kinetics of rice straw in different atmospheres
Calvo, L. F., Otero, M., Jenkins, B. M., et al. (2003) · Fuel Processing Technology · doi:10.1016/s0378-3820(03)00202-9 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Energy analysis and environmental impacts of microalgal biodiesel in China
Yanfen, L., Huang, Z., & Ma, X. (2012) · Energy Policy · doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2012.02.007 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Thermogravimetric Analysis on Global Mass Loss Kinetics of Rice Hull Pyrolysis
Teng, H., Lin, H.-C., & Ho, J.-A. (1997) · Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research · doi:10.1021/ie970017z · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Extraction, Properties and Utilization Potentials of Cassava Seed Oil
., T. O. S. P., & Yangomodou, O. D. (2005) · Biotechnology(Faisalabad) · doi:10.3923/biotech.2006.38.41 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Producing Fuels and Chemicals From Algae and the Intersection of the Water Industry
GLUCK, S. J. (2009) · Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation · doi:10.2175/193864709793900320 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Bhatt, P., Bhandari, G., Turco, R. F., Aminikhoei, Z., Bhatt, K., & Simsek, H. (2022) · Environmental Pollution · doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119688 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
Dębowski, M., Zieliński, M., Kazimierowicz, J., Kujawska, N., & Talbierz, S. (2020) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su12239980 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Sathinathan, P., Parab, H. M., Yusoff, R., Ibrahim, S., Vello, V., & Ngoh, G. C. (2023) · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.rser.2022.113096 · Cited by 141 · see citing works
Chemical characterization of char derived from slow pyrolysis of microalgal residue
Chang, Y.-M., Tsai, W.-T., & Li, M.-H. (2015) · Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis · doi:10.1016/j.jaap.2014.12.004 · Cited by 109 · see citing works
Xia, C., Pathy, A., Paramasivan, B., Ganeshan, P., Dhamodharan, K., Juneja, A., Kumar, D., Brindhadevi, K., Kim, S.-H., & Rajendran, K. (2022) · Fuel · doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2021.121932 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Key Targets for Improving Algal Biofuel Production
Griffiths, G., Hossain, A. K., Sharma, V., & Duraisamy, G. (2021) · Clean Technologies · doi:10.3390/cleantechnol3040043 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Microalgal Fuels: Promising Energy Reserves for the Future
Sirohi, R., Il Choi, H., & Sim, S. J. (2022) · Fuel · doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2021.122841 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
- Authors
- Gong, X., Zhang, B., Zhang, Y., Huang, Y., & Xu, M.
- Affiliations
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Combustion (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Xu, Minghou
- Venue
- Energy & Fuels
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2013-11-13
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 95-103
- ISSN
- 0887-0624 (ISSN-L)
- 1520-5029
- OpenAlex
- W2326777183
- Cited by
- 138
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 3.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Energy & Fuels (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Thermochemical Biomass Conversion Processes
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Thermal and Kinetic Analysis
- Keywords
- microalgae pyrolysis, Chlorella vulgaris, Dunaliella salina, thermal decomposition kinetics, heating rate effects, pyrolysis gas yield, bio-oil composition, biochar, calorific value, nitrogen compounds, fixed-bed reactor
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review