Production of Biodiesel from Marine Macroalgae occurring in the Gulf of Guinea, off the Coast of Ghana

The purpose of this study was to determine the suitability of marine macroalgae (also known as seaweeds), from the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of Ghana, for the production of biodiesel as an alternative to liquid fuels like gasoil and gasoline. Five green marine macroalgae species: Caulerpa taxifolia, Chaetomorpha antennina, Chaetomorpha linum, Ulva fasciata, and Ulva flexuosa, were collected from the coastal waters of Ghana at West Tema Rocks during low tide. Algal lipids were extracted from dried algae biomass with hexane and diethyl ether. Biodiesel was produced from algal lipids by base-catalysed transesterification, with alcohol. The lipid content of samples was highest in C. linum (1.13 g; 5.65% dry wt.) and lowest in C. antennina (0.54 g; 2.70% dry wt.). Similarly, the quantity of biodiesel produced from the lipids was highest in C. linum (0.97 g; 4.85% dry wt.) and lowest in C. antennina (0.48 g; 2.40% dry wt.). The quantity of biodiesel produced from samples of the five species fell well within the range obtained for such species worldwide. The implications of the yield of biodiesel for commercial production and future work on marine macroalgae from Ghana as source of biofuel are discussed.

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Field Testing of Biohybrid Robotic Jellyfish to Demonstrate Enhanced Swimming Speeds

Biomimetics ◽

10.3390/biomimetics5040064 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 64

Author(s):

Nicole W. Xu ◽

James P. Townsend ◽

John H. Costello ◽

Sean P. Colin ◽

Brad J. Gemmell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coastal Waters ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Damage Tolerance ◽

Field Testing ◽

Time Dependent ◽

Robotic Manipulation ◽

Large Animal ◽

Ocean Monitoring ◽

Future Work ◽

Natural Dynamic

Biohybrid robotic designs incorporating live animals and self-contained microelectronic systems can leverage the animals’ own metabolism to reduce power constraints and act as natural chassis and actuators with damage tolerance. Previous work established that biohybrid robotic jellyfish can exhibit enhanced speeds up to 2.8 times their baseline behavior in laboratory environments. However, it remains unknown if the results could be applied in natural, dynamic ocean environments and what factors can contribute to large animal variability. Deploying this system in the coastal waters of Massachusetts, we validate and extend prior laboratory work by demonstrating increases in jellyfish swimming speeds up to 2.3 times greater than their baseline, with absolute swimming speeds up to 6.6 ± 0.3 cm s−1. These experimental swimming speeds are predicted using a hydrodynamic model with morphological and time-dependent input parameters obtained from field experiment videos. The theoretical model can provide a basis to choose specific jellyfish with desirable traits to maximize enhancements from robotic manipulation. With future work to increase maneuverability and incorporate sensors, biohybrid robotic jellyfish can potentially be used to track environmental changes in applications for ocean monitoring.

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Aspects of the reproductive biology of the blue shark Prionace glauca (Linnaeus, 1758) in the coastal waters of Ivory Coast, West Africa

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315419000274 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 99 (06) ◽

pp. 1435-1441 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kouassi Yves Narcisse Kouamé ◽

Kouadio Justin Konan ◽

Nahoua Issa Ouattara ◽

Tidiani Koné

Keyword(s):

Sex Ratio ◽

Reproductive Biology ◽

Coastal Waters ◽

Ivory Coast ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Reproductive Parameters ◽

Gulf Of Guinea ◽

Blue Shark ◽

Prionace Glauca ◽

Total Length

AbstractThe blue shark Prionace glauca is the most abundant species in the artisanal driftnet fishery off the coastal waters of Ivory Coast. The reproductive parameters were investigated with the aim of providing basic information on the reproductive biology for fisheries management. A total of 424 specimens (256 males and 168 females) ranging from 170–330 cm in total length (TL) were sampled between August 2014 and November 2016. Sample for embryonic sex ratio was obtained from 18 litters of 503 individuals (255 males and 248 females). The embryonic sex ratio was not significantly different from 1:1 (χ2 = 0.10, P > 0.05, N = 503). The size at 50% maturity (L50) was 218.1 cm TL for males and 223.3 cm TL for females. The litter size based on the number of embryos varied from 6 to 62, with an average of 30 embryos. Mating started in July whereas ovulation, fertilization and uterine eggs occurred in late October–November. Smallest embryos of 3–5 cm in stretch total length (STL) appeared in uterus from November to January. The embryo size varied widely among months, and well-pigmented embryos were already present in April–May samples, although most of them occurred in August–September, suggesting a gestation period of around 11 months. The absence of neonates in catches, as well as parturition females, does not support a hypothesis that parturition takes place in the Gulf of Guinea.

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Introduction of macroalgae as a source of biodiesel in Iran: analysis of total lipid content, fatty acid and biodiesel indices

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315421000382 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Zahra Zarei Jeliani ◽

Nasrin Fazelian ◽

Morteza Yousefzadi

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Fatty Acid ◽

Green Algae ◽

Total Lipid ◽

Lipid Content ◽

Unsaturated Fatty Acids ◽

Total Lipid Content ◽

Marine Macroalgae ◽

Biodiesel Production ◽

Brown Seaweeds

Abstract The aim of this work was to describe and compare the main fatty acids and biodiesel indices of some green and brown macroalgae (seaweeds) collected from the Persian Gulf, as an alternative raw material for renewable biodiesel production. The macroalgae showed low lipid content (< 10% DW) but marine macroalgae with total lipid content > 5% DW are a good source for biodiesel production. The total lipid content and saturated fatty acids (SFAs) of green algae were higher than that of brown algae, while higher accumulation of unsaturated fatty acids (USFAs) was observed in brown seaweeds. Further, the main fatty acid in all studied seaweeds was palmitic acid (C16:0), which was followed by oleic acid (C18:1). The results of this work showed that three of the green algae, especially C. sertularioides, could be a potential source of fatty acids for biodiesel production owing to their high total lipid content, high cold flow indices (long chain saturated factor, cold filter plugging point and cloud point) and a fatty acid profile rich in SFAs with a high amount of C18:1, which is suitable for oil-based bio products. In contrast, the brown seaweeds Sargassum boveanum and Sirophysalis trinodis lipid content had a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which makes them suitable for replacing fish oil.

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Algae Biomass as a Potential Source of Liquid Fuels

Phycology ◽

10.3390/phycology1020008 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 105-118

Author(s):

Marcin Dębowski ◽

Marcin Zieliński ◽

Izabela Świca ◽

Joanna Kazimierowicz

Keyword(s):

Oil Recovery ◽

Energy Use ◽

Alcoholic Fermentation ◽

Liquid Waste ◽

Biofuel Production ◽

Liquid Fuels ◽

Algae Biomass ◽

Bio Oil ◽

Microalgae Biomass ◽

Economic Analyses

Algae biomass is perceived as a prospective source of many types of biofuels, including biogas and biomethane produced in the anaerobic digestion process, ethanol from alcoholic fermentation, biodiesel synthesized from lipid reserve substances, and biohydrogen generated in photobiological transformations. Environmental and economic analyses as well as technological considerations indicate that methane fermentation integrated with bio-oil recovery is one of the most justified directions of energy use of microalgae biomass for energy purposes. A promising direction in the development of bioenergy systems based on the use of microalgae is their integration with waste and pollution neutralization technologies. The use of wastewater, another liquid waste, or flue gases can reduce the costs of biofuel production while having a measurable environmental effect.

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