Lipids extraction from microalgae for biodiesel production

Microalgae are being used as an alternative raw material for biodiesel production. This purpose involves the microalgae cultivation, biomass harvesting, lipids extraction and transesterification. In this work, different methods for lipids extraction from Chlorella Vulgaris are evaluated. The different extractions were carried out using Soxhlet method or ultrasound irradiation. In both cases, different solvents were used. Among the analyzed methods, the methanol extraction assisted by ultrasound resulted in the highest extraction of Chlorella Vulgaris oil.