Comparative study of flash and acid hydrolysis of microalgae (Scenedesmus sp.) for the recovery of biochemicals and production of porous biocarbon nanosheets

An integrated biorefinery concept is a novel and economical process intensification methodology for efficient utilization of biomass components. In this research, microalgae (Scenedesmus sp.) slurry with biomass concentration of 8.5 wt.% was parallelly fractionated using two techniques: 'flash hydrolysis (FH)' and 'acid hydrolysis (AH)'. FH was performed at 240 degrees C with a residence time of 10 +/- 2 s in a continuous flow reactor, whereas AH was performed at 155 degrees C and reaction time of 15 min in a batch reactor. About 63% of microalgal biomass was solubilized in liquid hydrolysate through both FH and AH. However, AH had an advantage over FH in recovering microalgae proteins and carbohydrates. FAME recovery through solvent extraction from FH and AH derived wet solids (insoluble microalgae) was 40 and 63%, respectively. Finally, the FH- and AH-derived post extraction solid residue was thermally activated using K2CO3 to produce highly microporous biocarbon nanosheets with BET surface areas of 712 and 1289 m(2)center dot g(-1), respectively. Overall, an integrated process was developed using two potential hydrolysis techniques to maximize utilization of microalgae components.

Automated summary

The integrated biorefinery concept is an innovative and cost-effective method for efficiently utilizing biomass components. In this research, microalgae were fractionated using flash hydrolysis and acid hydrolysis, with acid hydrolysis proving to be more effective in recovering microalgae proteins and carbohydrates. The extracted wet solids from both processes were used to produce microporous biocarbon nanosheets through thermal activation. Overall, the integrated process maximized the utilization of microalgae components.