Extraction and GCMS Characterization of Chlorella vulgaris Microalgal Oil Using n-Hexane Assisted Dissolution Method

Authors

  • Nur Aminah Rambe Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia
  • Irvan Irvan Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia
  • Bambang Trisakti Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38035/ijam.v5i1.2190

Keywords:

Chlorella vulgaris, GC-MS, lipid extraction, n-hexane dissolution, fatty acid methyl ester

Abstract

Microalgae-based biodiesel has emerged as a promising third-generation biofuel feedstock, yet efficient downstream lipid recovery remains a critical­­ bottleneck. This study investigated the effectiveness of n-hexane-assisted dissolution in improving the recovery and homogeneity of microalgal oil extracted from Chlorella vulgaris biomass, and characterized the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) composition of the recovered oil using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Two dissolution methods were evaluated: direct dissolution (Variation 1) and n-hexane-assisted dissolution (Variation 2), each at volumetric ratios of 1:4 and 1:2 (v/v). GC-MS analysis of the base microalgal oil identified nine FAME compounds with carbon chain lengths ranging from C15 to C21, with methyl nonadecanoate (C₁₉H₃₈O₂) as the dominant constituent at 50.63% of the total chromatographic area and a total methyl ester content of 93.23%. In Variation 1, total methyl ester content reached 67.41% (Sample A) and 80.70% (Sample B), with sediment formation observed in both samples. In contrast, Variation 2 achieved markedly higher total methyl ester contents of 98.40% (Sample 1) and 98.25% (Sample 2), with no sediment detected, indicating superior lipid dispersion and product homogeneity. The predominance of C17–C19 fatty acid methyl esters across all samples confirms the suitability of Chlorella vulgaris oil as a renewable biofuel feedstock. These results demonstrate that n-hexane-assisted dissolution is an effective strategy for enhancing microalgal oil recovery and highlight the critical role of solvent selection in downstream lipid processing for microalgae-based biofuel production.

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Published

2026-06-22

How to Cite

Rambe, N. A., Irvan, I., & Trisakti, B. (2026). Extraction and GCMS Characterization of Chlorella vulgaris Microalgal Oil Using n-Hexane Assisted Dissolution Method. International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary, 5(1), 93–102. https://doi.org/10.38035/ijam.v5i1.2190

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary (April - June 2026)

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Copyright (c) 2026 Nur Aminah Rambe, Irvan Irvan, Bambang Trisakti

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