Comparative analysis of biodiesel produced by acidic transesterification of lipid extracted from oleaginous yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides.

This study investigated the potential of oleaginous yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides strain (ATCC20409) for the sustainable production of microbial lipids as biodiesel feedstock and other economically important fatty acids in comparison to algal or plant-based biodiesel. The strain exhibited high lipid content (76% of dry cell weight biomass) through consolidated bioprocessing which was transesterified to produce biodiesel. Physico-chemical properties of the biodiesel produced showed that they were in accordance with ASTM standards, although few parameters such as acid value, calorific value and free fatty acid value differed to some extent, as also reported in plant-based/microalgal biodiesel. Fatty acid methyl esters analysis of biodiesel showed 50.18% unsaturated fatty acid and 49.81% saturated fatty acid. Total content of (monounsaturated fatty acid) MUFA was higher than (polyunsaturated fatty acid) PUFA, being 44.36% and 2.69%, respectively. Considering the yield and cost, lipid extracted from R. toruloides may become a promising alternative feed in biodiesel production.