Comparison of Lipid Extraction from Microalgae and Soybeans with Aqueous Isopropanol

Abstract

The extraction efficiency of microalgae lipids with aqueous isopropanol (IPA) was investigated and compared with the extraction of oil from full-fat soy flour. The effects of the type of microalgae (Scenedesmus sp. and Schizochytrium limacinum), cell rupture, and IPA concentration on the yield of oil and non-lipid biomass were determined. The oil yield from intact cells of Scenedesmus was 86–93 % with 70, 88, or 95 % (by wt) IPA. Ultrasonic cell rupture prior to oil extraction decreased the oil yield of Scenedesmus to 74 % when extracting with 70 % IPA. The oil yield from intact cells of S. limacinum was <23 % regardless of the IPA concentration, but ruptured cells gave a 94–96 % oil yield with 88 or 95 % IPA. The different response of the two microalgae to extraction with IPA is possibly caused by differences in the cell wall structure and type and amount of polar lipids. The oil yield from soy flour with 88 and 95 % IPA was 93–95 %, which was significantly greater than yields with 50 and 70 % IPA. Cell rupture had no effect on soy flour extraction. In general, the oil yield from the ruptured cells of both microalgae and soy flour increased with increasing IPA concentration.