Lewis acid-catalyzed in situ transesterification/esterification of microalgae in supercritical ethanol

- Lewis acids significantly promote the production of crude biodiesel (CBD).
- Lewis acid makes the reaction much milder than that using supercritical ethanol alone.
- ZnCl2 shows the highest performance toward the CBD production.
- Algae moisture is the most influential factor on the yield and quality of CBD.
- The CBD is rich in fatty acid esters which can be used as candidate for bio-fuels.