Synergy Between Microalgae of the Clhorella sp type and Commercial Zeolites Type Y in Efficient CO2 Capture: Exploration, Mechanisms and Potential for Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
Microalgae; Chlorella sp; carbon dioxide; greenhouse effect
The use of fossil fuels has led to the large-scale release of CO2, resulting in an alarming increase in carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere, considering that large CO2 emissions can cause a greenhouse effect and lead to global warming, which means a serious threat to human health and social stability. In an attempt to mitigate these effects, several efforts have been sought, among them, alternative routes for the production of renewable energy such as: wind energy, solar energy, biomass, among other sources that can minimize the release of CO2 into the atmosphere, as well as technological routes of carbon dioxide capture, such as physical, chemical and biological. In relation to the biological route, carbon fixation by microalgae cultivation has become a promising strategy to obtain neutral or negative carbon emissions. In this study, Chlorella sp was the strain chosen, as it presents itself as a microalgae with good CO2 fixation capacity, something that varies around 0.73 - 1.79g/L. To carry out this study, 98% commercial CO2 and a gas mixture containing 15% CO2, 73% N2 and 12% O2 were used, simulating the gas exhausted from refractory furnaces. Gas flow rates varied between 200mL/min and 50mL/min and were inserted into 5000 mL drums containing BG11 culture medium. The cultivation medium was prepared using waste water derived from ore extraction basins. It was verified through laboratory analyzes that the biomass obtained from the cultivation of Clhorella sp using simulated gas at a flow rate of 50 ml/min 24h, obtained a productivity of 0.81 g/Lday and the CO2 fixation rate was 0. .90g/L.d,. The biomass was lyophilized at -40°C temperature under a vacuum of 0.133 mbar, the dry mass was subjected to extraction of lipids (8.6%), proteins (41.8%), and carbohydrates (33.27%) through KJEDAHL methodology. The biomass was subjected to CHN analysis to obtain inorganic carbon with the objective of verifying the CO2 fixation rate in the dry biomass, obtaining a C content equal to 30.64%.