Affiliation:
1. Department of Geology, University of Nigeria Nsukka.
2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nigeria Nsukka.
Abstract
Abstract
The thermal depolymerization process is also known as Hydrothermal liquefaction(HTL) Is used in converting macro/micro molecules, under temperatures of about 280°C and 370°C and pressures that are in the range from 10 to 25 MPa and into crude such as oil. The oil is composed of high energy density and low heating values of 33.8-36.9 MJ/Kg and 5-20 wt% renewables and oxygen. Presently microalgae are used industrially in producing high-quality products for food additives. Also, the microalgae are environmentally friendly, as it is used in the treatment of wastewater, control in the mitigation of industrial CO2 emission and atmospheric CO2 capturing. Due to environmental issues, microalgal are converted from biomass to biofuel. Recently HTL has drawn more attention, as it can be used in the refinery industry. This paper is also concerned with solving environmental issues using microalgae as an effective method for biomass to biofuel conversion. One significant advantage of HTL is the possibility of using fresh microalgae after harvesting, the processing of biomass and increased thermodynamic efficiency. The latter is achieved due to high HTL temperature and pressure which creates an avenue for more heat recovery.