Characterization of Pyrolysis Products Obtained from Desmodesmus sp. Cultivated in Anaerobic Digested Effluents (DADE)

The present study includes the compositional analysis and pyrolysis products obtained from Desmodesmus sp. cultivated in anaerobic digested effluents (DADE) from 300°C to 800°C. Compared to Desmodesmus sp. cultivated in BG11 (DBG11), both species exhibited a hydrogen content of ca. 6%, ca. 7% of nitrogen, and ca. 0.56% of sulfur except carbon content, of which was lower than DBG11. Pyrolysis products of DADE consisted of aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, acids, nitrogen compounds, phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), alcohols, aldehydes, and furans. Pyrolysis of DADE at 800°C produced 62.52% (the maximum yield) of pyrolysis products compared to 41.89% at 600°C. Considering the reasonably high yield and minimum release of pollutants, lower temperature (600°C) was found to be optimum for producing biofuel from DADE. A process combing anaerobic digestion and algae cultivation can be proposed as a direct and effective way to produce biofuel so as to reduce contaminations to the environment.