Oil recovery from wet Euglena gracilis by shaking with liquefied dimethyl ether

An efficient, safe, and low-cost method for recovering oil from microalgae is needed for the production of algae biofuels. Here, we report a one-step method for the recovery of oil from algae. Wet Euglena gracilis cells were placed in a vessel, mixed with liquefied dimethyl ether, and shaken at room temperature (20 °C). After 5 min of shaking, approximately 96.7% of the total oil was recovered when the ratio of solvent to sample (wet basis) was 8:1. The molecular weight distribution of oil recovered using this method was comparable to that of oil recovered using the conventional n-hexane Soxhlet extraction method. These results showed that it is possible to produce oil from wet microalgae by using a simple, economical, and environmentally friendly method.