scholarly journals Optimization of biodiesel production from Chlorella protothecoides oil via ultrasound assisted transesterification

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 367-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Didem Özçimen ◽  
Ömer Gülyurt ◽  
Benan İnan

There is a growing interest in biodiesel as an alternative fuel for diesel engines because of the high oil prices and environmental issues related to massive greenhouse gas emissions. Nowadays, microalgal biomass has become a promising biodiesel feedstock. However, traditional biodiesel production from microalgae consumes a lot of energy and solvents. It is necessary to use an alternative method that can reduce the energy and alcohol consumption and save time. In this study, biodiesel production from Chlorella protothecoides oil by ultrasound assisted transesterification was conducted and effects of reaction parameters such as methanol:oil ratio, catalyst/oil ratio and reaction time on fatty acid methyl ester yields were investigated. The transesterification reactions were carried out by using methanol as alcohol and potassium hydroxide as the catalyst. The highest methyl ester production was obtained under the conditions of 9:1 methanol/oil mole ratio, 1.5% potassium hydroxide catalyst in oil, and for reaction time of 40 min. It was also found that catalyst/oil molar ratio was the most effective parameter on methyl ester yield according to statistical data. The results showed that ultrasound-assisted transesterification may be an alternative and cost effective way to produce biodiesel efficiently.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-97
Author(s):  
Jamilu Usman ◽  
Bashar Abdullahi Hadi ◽  
Buhari Idris ◽  
Umar Musa Tanko ◽  
Bashar Usman ◽  
...  

Biodiesel is an alternative diesel fuel consisting of the alkyl monoesters of fatty acids from vegetable oils or animal fats. Biodiesel is a promising alternative fuel derived from animal fats or vegetable oil through transesterification with methanol. Base catalyzed transesterification is the most commonly used technique as it is the most economical process. Presently, a lot of heterogeneous catalysts have been formulated that are more effective than the homogeneous catalysts. CaO/Al2O3 was synthesized using incipient wetness impregnation method. The biodiesel was developed and optimized using Box-behnken response surface methodology (RSM) design provided using MINITAP-17 statistical software. The four independent variables considered are: reaction time, methanol to oil ratio, reaction temperature and catalyst concentration. The response chosen was fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yields which were obtained from the reaction. The result from analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a satisfactory result. Moreover, the input variables showed greater significance on the response which are reaction time and temperature base on F and P-value. The statistical models developed for predicting biodiesel yield revealed a significant agreement between the experimental and predicted values (R = 0.9686). An optimum methyl ester yield of 93.29 % was achieved with optimal conditions of methanol/oil molar ratio of 6:1, temperature of 600C, reaction time of 120 min and catalyst concentration of 1.0 wt%. The properties of the biodiesel produced also falls within the range prescribed by ASTM standard


2014 ◽  
Vol 692 ◽  
pp. 133-138
Author(s):  
Athitan Timyamprasert ◽  
Vittaya Punsuvon ◽  
Kasem Chunkao ◽  
Juan L. Silva ◽  
Tae Jo Kim

The aim of this research was to develop a two-step technique to prepare biodiesel from waste palm oil (WPO) with high free fatty acid content. The developed process consists of esterification and transesterification steps. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied for investigating the experimental design for esterification step. Design of experiment was performed by application of 5-levels-3-factors central composite design in order to study the optimum condition for decreasing FFA in WPO. The WPO with low FFA was further experimented in transesterification step to obtain fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). The investigated results showed that the WPO containing 48.62%wt of high FFA. The optimum condition of esterification step was 28 moles of methanol to FFA in WPO molar ratio, 5.5% sulfuric acid concentration in 90 min of reaction time and 60 °C of reaction temperature. After transesterification step, WPO biodiesel gave methyl ester content at 84.05% according to EN 14103 method. The properties of WPO methyl ester meet the standards of Thailand community biodiesel that can be used as fuel in agricultural machine.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. S. Aliozo ◽  
L. N. Emembolu ◽  
O. D. Onukwuli

Abstract In this research work, melon oil was used as feedstock for methyl ester production. The research was aimed at optimizing the reaction conditions for methyl ester yield from the oil. Response surface methodology (RSM), based on a five level, four variable central composite designs (CCD)was used to optimize and statistically analyze the interaction effect of the process parameter during the biodiesel production processes. A total of 30 experiments were conducted to study the effect of methanol to oil molar ratio, catalyst weight, temperature and reaction time. The optimal yield of biodiesel from melon oil was found to be 94.9% under the following reaction conditions: catalyst weight - 0.8%, methanol to oil molar ratio - 6:1, temperature - 55°C and reaction time of 60mins. The quality of methyl ester produced at these conditions was within the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM D6751) specification.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nichaonn Chumuang ◽  
Vittaya Punsuvon

The present study was performed to optimize a heterogeneous calcium methoxide (Ca(OCH3)2) catalyzed transesterification process assisted with tetrahydrofuran (THF) as a cosolvent for biodiesel production from waste cooking oil. Response surface methodology (RSM) with a 5-level-4-factor central composite design was applied to investigate the effect of experimental factors on the percentage of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) conversion. A quadratic model with an analysis of variance obtained from the RSM is suggested for the prediction of FAME conversion and reveals that 99.43% of the observed variation is explained by the model. The optimum conditions obtained from the RSM were 2.83 wt% of catalyst concentration, 11.6 : 1 methanol-to-oil molar ratio, 100.14 min of reaction time, and 8.65% v/v of THF in methanol concentration. Under these conditions, the properties of the produced biodiesel satisfied the standard requirement. THF as cosolvent successfully decreased the catalyst concentration, methanol-to-oil molar ratio, and reaction time when compared with biodiesel production without cosolvent. The results are encouraging for the application of Ca(OCH3)2 assisted with THF as a cosolvent for environmentally friendly and sustainable biodiesel production.


2016 ◽  
Vol 723 ◽  
pp. 610-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natta Pimngern ◽  
Vittaya Punsuvon

Crude coconut oil with high free fatty acid (FFA) content was used as a raw material to produce biodiesel. In this work, the esterification followed by transesterification of crude coconut oil with methanol is studied. The response surface methodology (RSM) with 5-level-3-factor central composite design (CCD) was applied to study the effect of different factors on the FFA content of esterification and the percentage of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) conversion of transesterification. The FAME conversion was detected by proton magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectrometer. As a result, the optimum conditions for esterification were 6:1 of methanol-to-oil molar ratio, 0.75wt% of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) concentration and 90 min of reaction time. The optimum conditions for transesterification were 8.23:1 of methanol-to-oil molar ratio, 0.75wt% of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentration and 80 min of reaction time. Quadratic model equations were obtained describing the relationships between dependents and independent variables to minimize the FFA content and maximize the FAME conversion. Fuel properties of the crude coconut oil biodiesel were also examined followed ASTM and EN standards. The results showed that all properties met well with both standards.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Winoto ◽  
Nuttawan Yoswathana

The molar ratio of methanol to rubber seed oil (RSO), catalyst loading, and the reaction time of RSO biodiesel production were optimized in this work. The response surface methodology, using the Box–Behnken design, was analyzed to determine the optimum fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield. The performance of various nanomagnetic CaO-based catalysts—KF/CaO-Fe3O4, KF/CaO-Fe3O4-Li (Li additives), and KF/CaO-Fe3O4-Al (Al additives)—were compared. Rubber seed biodiesel was produced via the transesterification process under subcritical methanol conditions with nanomagnetic catalysts. The experimental results indicated that the KF/CaO-Fe3O4-Al nanomagnetic catalyst produced the highest FAME yield of 86.79%. The optimum conditions were a 28:1 molar ratio of methanol to RSO, 1.5 wt % catalyst, and 49 min reaction time. Al additives of KF/CaO-Fe3O4 nanomagnetic catalyst enhanced FAME yield without Al up to 18.17% and shortened the reaction time by up to 11 min.


2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew C. Eloka-Eboka ◽  
Ogbene Gillian Igbum ◽  
Freddie L. Inambao

Optimization of the production process in biodiesel production holds huge prospects. A reduced cost option is the optimization of process variables that affect yields and purity of biodiesel, which was achieved in this study. Optimized production and direct effects of process variables on the production and quality of methyl ester biodiesel fuels from the non-edible seed oils of sandbox seed was carried out. Catalyst nature and concentration, alcohol to triglyceride molar ratio, mixing speed, reaction time and temperature were taken into consideration as variables to their individual response on the yields, viscosity and specific gravity of the methyl esters produced. These are specific indispensable properties of biodiesel for use in compression ignition engines. Optimized concentrations were 0.3 to 1.5% w/v and two mole ratios of 3:1 and 6:1. Time of reaction was varied (5mins to 30mins) with temperatures (38oC and 55oC). Also, the effect of methanol in the range of 4:1and 6:1 (molar ratio) was investigated, keeping catalyst type, reaction time and temperatures constant. The effects of KOH and NaOH on the transesterification were investigated with concentration kept constant at 1%. The general response in this study was that at optimized rate of agitation (800rpm), optimized reaction time was as low as 5minutes, 1% catalyst concentration of NaOH was the optimal concentration, and 55oC was the optimal temperature with attendant high yields. However, there are variations with the nature of feedstock as the work further exposed. These high points are particularly of interest to guide against process backdrop.


2012 ◽  
Vol 472-475 ◽  
pp. 2133-2136
Author(s):  
Tsair Wang Chung ◽  
Yi Jen Chen ◽  
Kuan Ting Liu

In this study, the factorial design and response surface methodology (RSM) was used to find the influence of manufacturing variables on the transesterification of plant oil into fatty acid methyl ester (i.e. biodiesel fuel) and to observe the variation of the degree of effect for each variable in the transesterification process with refined procedure. A second-order model was obtained to predict the viscosity and the yield of biodiesel fuel as a function of the reaction time, the mass fraction of catalyst in methanol and the molar ratio of methanol to plant oil. The experimental data of the yield and the viscosity of refined biodiesel fuels in different manufacturing variables are discussed in this study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was also applied to discuss the main factor and interaction factor effects of the manufacturing variables on the responses of the yield of biodiesel fuels. As shown in this study, the amount of catalyst affects the viscosity and the yield of biodiesel fuels. The yield of methyl ester is proportional to the amounts of methanol in the reaction. The factor of reaction time affects the viscosity and the yield of the biodiesel fuel slightly.


2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadi Soltani ◽  
Asadollah Karimi ◽  
Sahar Falahatpisheh

AbstractDue to the finite source of fossil fuels and their high emissions, it is remarkable to recognize appropriate ways to produce alternative fuels with less pollution. In this paper, the production of biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester) from transesterification of methanol with sesame oil under ultrasound-assisted waves (using a homogeneous sodium hydroxide catalyst) was investigated. In addition, the optimization and prediction of biodiesel production was studied and compared with the two methods of response surface methodology (RSM) and the combined model of artificial neural network (ANN) – particle swarm algorithm (PSO). The central composite design (CCD) was used to investigate the effect of independent variables (methanol/oil molar ratio, catalyst percentage, reaction time and temperature) on the yield of biodiesel in Expert Design software. Analysis of experimental results was performed using RSM and ANN–PSO hybrid methods and also the optimal conditions for maximizing the yield were calculated. The highest yield of biodiesel predicted by RSM and ANN–PSO were 87.4 and 90.58%, respectively. RSM and ANN–PSO hybrid models were compared based on least squared errors statistically. The correlation coefficients in the RSM and ANN–PSO hybrid models were 0.959 and 0.999 respectively. While both models demonstrated a good agreement with actual results, but the ANN–PSO hybrid model had a powerful prediction for the optimal points over the RSM.


2014 ◽  
Vol 695 ◽  
pp. 289-292
Author(s):  
M.M. Zamberi ◽  
Farid Nasir Ani ◽  
S.N.H. Hassan

The transesterification of waste vegetable oil (WVO) with methanol in the presence of potassium hydroxide (KOH) is studied in order to produce biodiesel. All the results were evaluated using central composite design by applying a double 5 level 3 factor full factorial designs. Twenty experiments were replicated under the typical range of parameter conditions coded as x1 for oil molar ratio, x2 as catalyst concentration and x3 for reaction time. The experimental fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) are compared with the predicted FAME using RSM. The optimal predicted FAME production was obtained at 92.60%. It is specified under conditions of molar ratio 4:1 mol/mol, 0.5033 wt% catalyst concentration and reaction time of 60 minutes.


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