Soxhlet Extraction of Spirogyra sp. as an Energy Source and Physicochemical Characterization of Produced Biodiesel

Due to industrialization demand of energy is increasing and hence to meet the demand without any compromise in growth and development, alternative source of energy needs to be found. The best alternative source is biofuels which are extracted from organic compounds. Algae are aquatic organisms almost available in every type of water bodies and considered as potential candidates for biodiesel productions at large scale. In present study, an experimental set –up was designed to produce algal oil through transesterification process. The Soxhlet extraction method is employed as an oil extraction method. The solvent utilized for oil extraction method is n-hexane, petroleum ether and mixture of both solvents to extract the algal oil. Also the oil extracted from the algae is characterized to identify the suitability of algal biodiesel as a potential biofuel for internal combustion (IC) engine. The characterization revealed that physicochemical properties of obtained biodiesel were in permissible range in comparison with standard diesel fuel.