Abstract: The method for producing biodiesel from microalgae using a thermo-responsive switchable solvent includes mixing a thermo-responsive switchable solvent (TSS) in a hydrophilic state with microalgae at room temperature (25° C.); maintaining the TSS-microalgae mixture in the hydrophilic state for a cell disruption time period; raising the temperature of the TSS-microalgae mixture to switch the TSS solvent to a hydrophobic state; maintaining the TSS solvent in the hydrophobic state in the presence of immobilized lipase catalyst and methanol for an extraction/reaction time period to obtain fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) as the oils are extracted; lowering the temperature of the TSS-microalgae mixture to switch the TSS solvent back to the hydrophilic state; and maintaining the TSS solvent in the hydrophilic state for a product separation time period. The method may further include extracting the FAMEs from the TSS-microalgae mixture with a nonpolar organic solvent to obtain the biodiesel product.

Abstract: There is provided a process of reducing concentration of contaminants in a contaminated wastewater stream, such as contaminated wastewater output from a refinery, such as an oil-refinery; the process comprising: first, passing the contaminated wastewater stream into an electrocoagulation reactor for coagulating dispersed particles, filtering the wastewater stream after electrocoagulation for removing the coagulated dispersed particles, and providing a first stream of treated wastewater after the first filtration; second, passing the first stream of treated wastewater into a Spouted Bed Bio-Reactor (SBBR) containing a micro-organism or bacterium immobilized in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel, filtering the first stream after treatment by the SBBR and providing a second stream of treated wastewater after the second filtration; and third, passing the second stream of treated wastewater into an adsorption column containing granular activated carbon (GAC) and providing a third stream of treated wastewater.