earticle

영어

Algae oil has been studied to be a more viable source of biofuel than crops such as corn and coconut because they have a higher energy yield per hectare used. However, inefficient and expensive extraction methods have hindered this promising biofuel from being mass produced. This study aims to efficiently extract oil from a local strain of the diatom Navicula sp. through solvent extraction. Navicula sp. procured from SEAFDEC will be cultivated under controlled laboratory conditions for 30 to 45 days. These conditions include an aquarium, lighting provided by 2 florescent lamps, water treated with saltwater solution and media for the growth and maintenance of algae. The biomass will be harvested after the said period of time, and will then be subjected to solvent extraction, first with hexane, then with diethyl ether. The amount of extracted oil will determine the distribution ratio, which will determine how wellextracted the oil was from the biomass. No algae oil was extracted using diethyl ether, resulting in a distribution ratio of 0. 5.18 mL of algae oil was extracted using hexane, resulting in a distribution ratio of 2.72. The results of the study emphasized the viability of hexane as an extraction agent in the solvent extraction of Navicula sp.