Dr. MujizatKawaroeSuccessfully Converted Microalgae into Biodiesel

Though plenty questions were raised and people still doubts on the successful utilization of microalgaefor biofuels, but they did not make Dr. MujizatKawaroecancell her research programs. Instead, the Head of the Laboratory of Marine Bioprospectingof the Department of Marine Sciences and Technology, Bogor Agricultural University(ITK-IPB) run very fast to continue her research projects to formulate biodiesel from microalgae.

 

The researcher of Surfactant and Bioenergy Research Center (SBRC) has been busy conducting her project and tests of microalgae propagation with racepond in PelabuhanRatusince the year 2013. She revealed that  80 tons of this type of culturedmicroalgae of Nannochloropsis sp. in produced 22 kg of microalgae powders which can be converted into 2 liters of biodiesel.

 

Currently Ms. Ijat (as her close friends usually call her) and the team hascollected 13 species of potential microalgae for bioenergy. These species are Tertraselmissuecica, Dunaiellasp, Chaetocerossp,Chrollera vulgaris, Thalasiosiasp, Spirullinaplatensis, Nannocholoropsissp,Naviculasp,Botrycoccussp, Nitzchiasp, Skeletonema, Tertraselmischuii. Around 80 tons of  Dunaiella Sp.will be processed immediately for scale up in PelabuhanRatu. In implementing her research projects Ms. Ijat, who got her Doctorate Degree from IPB, collaborated with Marine Science Research Institute (RIST) of  Korea. That Korean research institution provided funding support for two research projects amounted to US$ 50,500 (fifty thousand and five hundred US Dollars). Those two research projects were as follow:1). Growth rate of microalgae at scale 80 tons; and  2). Mutagenesis of microalgae species produce biofuels using ems (ethyl methane sulfonate) to increase of lipid content and to speed up the growing of microalgae. Some students of 

ITK are  involved in implementing those projects on the development of biofuels from microalgae (Wied).