Bioconversion of the Brown Tunisian Seaweed <i>Halopteris scoparia</i>: Application to Energy

The brown Tunisian seaweed <i>Halopteris scoparia</i> was used as a feedstock for producing renewable bioethanol, biogas, and biodiesel to demonstrate the proof of concept for the North African energy sector. A quantitative and qualitative quantification of <i>H. scoparia</i>...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Farah Hadjkacem, Guillaume Pierre, Gwendoline Christophe, Jihen Elleuch, Imen Fendri, Zakaria Boual, Mohamed Didi Ould El Hadj, Zainab El Alaoui-Talibi, Cherkaoui El Modafar, Pascal Dubessay, Cédric Delattre, Philippe Michaud, Slim Abdelkafi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-06-01
Series:Energies
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/12/4342
Description
Summary:The brown Tunisian seaweed <i>Halopteris scoparia</i> was used as a feedstock for producing renewable bioethanol, biogas, and biodiesel to demonstrate the proof of concept for the North African energy sector. A quantitative and qualitative quantification of <i>H. scoparia</i> composition using different colorimetric methods was completed to highlight its bioconversion potential. These substrate inputs were subjected to anaerobic fermentation by <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> to produce bioethanol. The materials were also used to generate bio-hydrogen and volatile fatty acids during dark fermentation by a bacterial consortium and using the oleaginous yeast <i>Yarrowia lipolytica</i>. The lipids were extracted and trans-esterified to Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMEs), and their profiles were then analyzed with gas chromatography (GC). A significant ratio of the bioethanol, e.g., 0.35 g ethanol/g DW substrate, was produced without pretreatment, consistent with the theoretical Gay-Lussac yield. The production of the biohydrogen and lipids were up to 1.3 mL H<sub>2</sub>/g DW substrate and 0.04 g/g DW substrate, respectively, from the raw biomass. These results were higher than those reported for other well-studied seaweeds such as <i>L. japonica</i>. Overall, this work contributes to the current investigations in Tunisia for producing alternative energies from algae and finding new solutions to the current energy situation and environmental challenges in Maghreb.
ISSN:1996-1073