FURI | Spring 2019

Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) of Salicornia to Determine its Potential for Biofuel Production

With the increasing warming of the globe and the ongoing energy crisis, caused by extensive use of conventional fossil fuels, a move toward sustainable and clean energy sources that have fewer polluting effects has become an acute need.  Fossil fuels, such as gasoline, do emit large quantities of greenhouse gases, yet we still don’t have an effective alternative,  and the transport industry still needs to run. Therefore, an alternative to the fossil fuel is urgently needed, and this is biofuel. The objective of this research is to perform Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) technique on Salicornia and analyze its biocrude yield, to determine its potential for mass production of biofuels.