Biodiesel was produced by transesterifying Khaya senegalensis oil with methanol in the presence of Al2O3 as catalyst. Molar ratio of 15:1 (methanol to oil) was followed to shift the reaction to product side for more yield of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and the use of a heterogeneous catalyst enabled the reaction to proceed faster. The oil and biodiesel were characterized following ASTM standards. The free fatty acid, acid value, viscosity, specific gravity, moisture content, saponification value, pour point, cloud point were examined in this research and the result obtained show that Khaya senegalensis Seed Oil is a good for biodiesel production. The biodiesel obtained was separated from glycerol, washed with distilled water and dried. Samples of oil and biodiesel were scan within mid-infrared region of 4000 cm-1 – 400 cm-1 with fourier transform infrared spectrometer by agilent technologies. The spectra obtained were interpreted and analyzed with the aid of structure correlation chart. The results revealed that the biodiesel contained fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). The FTIR spectrum for the biodiesel revealed the functional groups with characteristics bands, C=O, -(CH2)n-, C-O, C=C and C-H in the spectrum.
Development and Application of Heterogeneous Catalyst from Snail Shells for Optimization of Biodiesel Production from <i>Moringa Oleifera</i> Seed Oil
