Figure 1: Five-stage extraction comparison. Five sequential extractions were performed using each of the selected solvents at a 10:1 solvent to algae dry weight ratio. The total extraction efficiency for each system is the sum of the 5 steps shown in comparison to the total lipid content of the dry weight biomass as determined by the ASE. 1-butanol totaled 80% ± 5%, heptane totaled 16% ± 6%, and hexane totaled 14% ± 4%. A significant reduction in recovery was observed after the second extraction.