Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

How to make biofuel from algae at home? I came across this idea. Reply needed urgently.

Hi,

Take a look at this thread: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... =28&t=5087 and see if the links contained therein answer your questions.

Thanks very much for the links provided. I need the process as how to start the project, the procedures. Can transesterification reaction be used to produce biofuel?

Hello,

I am in contact with someone who has a good deal of experience making biofuel. I will be able to talk to her tonight, and then I will post here with the information I can get for you.

I'll be able to talk to her in about 7-9 hours from now, so check back around that time.

Also, you might be able to get an answer sooner if you post your questions on the Life Sciences Forum. This is the Physical Sciences forum, which deals mostly with physics and mechanics, etc. If you post your questions there, you might be able to get an answer from a life sciences expert before I can reply to you tonight. It's worth a try.

The Life Sciences forum is here: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... m.php?f=28.

Okay, I talked to my contact, and here's what she said. I hope it is helpful to you. If not, try posting this in the Life Sciences section, as I suggested earlier:

Making biofuel from algae is a novel idea, something that PhDs are devoting a lot of research to. I think it can be done by extracting the lipid of algae to make oil. That method is pretty easy and is well known, so I believe it can be a good home science project. It can be found pretty easily online.

Here is a nice presentation on algae biofuel. It gives a brief overview of possibilities of producing biofuel: http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy08osti/42414

I'm not sure if that presentation helps with details on how to start a procedure. It would be great background though. Judges always want to know how much you know about background information like that.

Here is a link to a company's method for making oil from algae: http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/blog2/200 ... in-sight/

These links may help, but basically, the student should search for lipid extraction from algae on the internet.

BTW, if the student wants a more complicated project, search for hydrogen production. Don't go as far as biomass for ethanol, that's too far for an algae-based project.