Oil press or Mechanical press The oil can be extracted from algae using a mechanical press, as seen in figure 1. This process—which forces the algal paste into a nozzle that removes oil and expels much drier biomass—can extract up to 70% of the algal oil, but generally requires a dry algae feedstock. Dry algae is the product of dewatering.
What is dry algae?
Dry algae is the product of dewatering. This process is commonly combined with the hexane solvent method. Oil from the algal biomass dissolves into the hexane solvent; a six-carbon chain molecule. Then the oil is cleaned through distillation, and the solvent is recycled through further processes.
Can algae be used as a biofuel?
Processing algae is necessary to convert algae to biofuel. The harvested algae has to undergo several steps in order to produce consumer-grade products, such as biodiesel and bioethanol. In order to extract the oil found in the algae cell walls, known as lipids, a separation process must take place.
How does algae harvesting work?
During the harvesting, algae are separated from their culture substrate and processed further to become a high-quality concentrate. The harvesting technology used has a decisive influence on the efficiency of the overall process: The aim is to keep both the investment costs and the operating costs for energy, water, etc. as low as possible.