Scenedesmus incrassatulus CLHE-Si01: A potential source of renewable lipid for high quality biodiesel production

The potential of microalgal oil from Scenedesmus incrassatulus as a feedstock for biodiesel production was studied. Cell concentration of S. incrassatulus and lipid content obtained during mixotrophic growth were 1.8 g/L and 19.5 ± 1.5% dry cell weight, respectively. The major components of biodiesel obtained from S. incrassatulus oil were methyl palmitate (26%) and methyl linoleate (49%), which provided a strong indication of high quality biodiesel. Fuel properties were determined by empirical equations and found to be within the limits of biodiesel standard ASTM D6751 and EN 14214. The quality properties of the biodiesel were high cetane number (62), low density (803 kg/m3), low viscosity (3.78 mm2/s), oxidation stability (9 h) and cold filter plugging point (-4 °C). Hence, S. incrassatulus has potential as a feedstock for the production of excellent quality biodiesel.