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Production of Jet Fuel Range Hydrocarbons as a Coproduct of Algal Biodiesel

O’Neil, G. W., Culler, A. R., Williams, J. R., Burlow, N. P., Gilbert, G. J., Carmichael, C. A., …, Reddy, C. M. (2015). Production of jet fuel range hydrocarbons as a coproduct of algal biodiesel by butenolysis of long-chain alkenones. Energy and Fuels. doi: 10.1021/ef502617z

Researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have developed a way to produce jet fuel range hydrocarbons from the biproducts of algal biodiesel. The researchers used Isochrysis galbana after a previous major study showed it useful in both biomass yield and lipid production. In order to obtain the Free Fatty Acids needed for the biodiesel as well as the lipids needed for the jet fuel, they began with an extraction of algal oil via hexanes from the dried biomass. The FFA's underwent esterification to produce biodiesel and the lipids were dissolved in dichloromethane and ran through silica gel to purify them. Further workup by butenolysis produced the long chain alkenones. The researchers analyzed the products with proton NMR as well as GC-MS. Though the researchers determined they had a relatively high yield, the methods are not currently cost effective.

Personally, I feel that this research is extremely important in today's world. We need to find more sources for energy before we exhaust the ones we have now. This research is important to me because I am looking into doing research on biofuels and renewable energy and I think that this research is relevant to my future. I am looking forward to seeing if a more cost effective method for production of biofuel from this method can be devised.

I believe the researchers methods were executed and documented well. They performed a series of extractions that are a scaled-up version of those that we perform in my organic chem class, and their characterization methods are also standard and accepted. The paper contains nearly 80 cited sources, and they appear to be credible. I believe that this research was well done because the results are consistent with what was expected based on the methods.

This research is so important and relevant to people today because green energy has been in the spotlight as climate change progressively gets worse and gas prices increase. If these methods can be adapted to more cost effective measures, then we'd have a great source of both biodiesel and jet fuel from more environmentally friendly methods. It would be an amazing feat, and I have hope that it is feasible!

This article really taught me to read a scientific journal from my own field. I was pleased at how well I was able to understand the methods, however, the discussion still had sections that went over my head. I can apply what I learned from reading this in class by being able to successfully read scientific journals.

#COM 217 #Yes #more school work #also still on my personal tumblr #because i am still pretty lazy

Highlight of my shopping adventure this morning- I bought a roll of Danger tape and a roll of Caution tape. ....because I could. (my actual reasoning was it could be good for Killjoy cosplay. Or just cosplay in general. Or I could just wrap my friends in it and see how long it takes them to get out. :D)

ALSO, fanfiction. You know that feeling where you know how a scene should go but you have no clue how to write it correctly? THAT IS WHERE I AM. But, after I go out to lunch/dinner/whatever the hell it'll be and work on almost all of my schoolwork, I will DIVE IN AND WRITE SOMETHING SPECTACULAR. ....and maybe finish something soon this whole 'not finishing things' makes me sad too. XD And then I will play my piano. AND ALL WILL BECOME RIGHT WITH THE WORLD. ...maybe. (my mom also bought the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook today. So it's been a generally good day all around.)

#seriously coolest tape ever #it's a nice day okay?#more school work #...more fanfic!#more pianos!