Papers by Keyword: Biodiesel

Abstract: Biodiesel is an environmentally friendly and renewable alternative fuel; however, it continues to face technical challenges related to oxidative stability, combustion efficiency, and exhaust emissions. One widely studied solution involves the use of fuel additives, particularly calcium oxide (CaO). CaO possesses strong basicity, high thermal stability, and notable catalytic activity, making it applicable in both the production and application stages of biodiesel. As a heterogeneous catalyst, CaO accelerates the transesterification process, enhancing biodiesel conversion efficiency. It also acts as an adsorbent, removing water, free fatty acids, and other impurities, thereby improving fuel purity and storage stability. Moreover, CaO contributes to more efficient combustion and has been shown to reduce emissions of carbon monoxide and particulate matter. Despite these benefits, challenges remain, including the risk of residue formation and engine deposits. Recent studies highlight the superior performance of CaO, particularly in nanoparticle form, compared to other inorganic additives. Future research should focus on surface modification strategies, dosage optimization, and long-term engine performance assessments. With proper engineering approaches, CaO holds significant potential to support the development of more efficient, stable, and sustainable biodiesel formulations for cleaner energy applications.

Abstract: In fuel manufacturing, a catalyst is an additive added from the base material to the intermediate product, which functions to accelerate the process of forming the intermediate product. Meanwhile, an additive is a material added to the intermediate product to improve the properties of the fuel before it undergoes combustion. Keywords: additive, nanoparticle, biodiesel.

Abstract: Biodiesel represents a renewable alternative fuel that reduces dependence on petroleum and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, biodiesel was produced from castor oil via alkaline transesterification to investigate the influence of temperature on mass transfer between the immiscible oil and alcohol phases. A series of transesterification experiments were carried out using methanol and a homogeneous alkaline catalyst (1.12 wt% KOH). The temperature was varied at 35 °C, 50°C, and 65°C to evaluate its influence on the mass transfer rate between the oil and alcohol phases. The molar ratio of methanol to oil was maintained at 14.12:1, and each experiment was conducted for a reaction time of 60 minutes. Increasing temperature significantly enhanced interfacial diffusion, reduced viscosity, and increased miscibility between the two phases. The intersection of TG and FAME curves occurred earlier at higher temperatures, at 65 °C, triglyceride (TG) conversion reached 92% within 10 min and approximately 99% after 60 min, while slower conversions were observed at 35 °C and 50 °C. Product composition and FAME yield were evaluated by GC-MS examination at the Ministry of Industry and Minerals' Industrial Research and Development Authority. Overall, the study highlights that optimized temperature conditions minimize mass transfer limitations, improves phase interaction and conversion efficiency also shortens the total reaction time supporting the creation of an effective and sustainable method of producing biodiesel process from renewable castor oil feedstock.

Abstract: Avocado seeds can be used as raw materials for making biodiesel because of their abundance and their underutilized potential. A catalyst is needed to accelerate the reaction, such as CaO, which can be made through the calcination process of green mussel shells that contain 97.2% CaCO₃. This study aims to obtain CaO catalysts to be used in the synthesis of biodiesel made from avocado seeds using the reactive extraction method. The parameters measured were the density and viscosity values of the biodiesel produced. The CaO catalyst concentration was determined to be 5% (w/w). The operation time was 8 hours, and the ratio of methanol to avocado seeds was 9:1 (v/w), with an operating temperature of 65°C. This study obtained a CaO catalyst from green mussel shells with a CaO content of 78.5%, which is composed of Ca and O elements and exhibits large porosity, as determined by SEM-EDS testing. The free fatty acid (FFA) content in avocado seeds was 2.38%, biodiesel yield was 80.19% with density and viscosity values of 1,021.48 kg/m³ and 14.98 cSt, respectively. The density and viscosity values did not meet the requirements of SNI No. 7182:2015 because the products produced may still contain impurities.

Abstract: Refined Coconut oil (RCNO) is the most used feedstock for biodiesel production, which undergoes alkali-catalyzed transesterification to produce fatty acid alkyl esters due to its low free-fatty acids (FFA) content. This study utilized coconut oil fatty acid distillate (COFAD) as an alternative feedstock to RCNO. As it contains high amounts of FFA, it is pretreated through acid-catalyzed esterification to derive fatty acid methyl esters. The kinetics of the hydrochloric acid catalyzed esterification was investigated with the conditions of 10:1 methanol-to-COFAD molar ratio, 5wt% acid catalyst loading (0.4729N with respect to reaction mixture), reaction temperatures at 45°C, 55°C and 65°C, and 2 hours reaction time. It was found that temperature had a positive effect on the reaction. The highest FFA conversion was observed when the reaction temperature was set to 65°C, where it reached 87%, and the activation energy of the reaction was 29690.96 J^.mol^-1. The highest conversion predicted by the kinetic model is approximately equal to 89%. A good fit of the experimental and calculated data was observed with r² > 0.96. Moreover, the spontaneity of the reaction, as well as the effect of water on the reaction, were identified through the determination of thermodynamic parameters. The esterification reaction was found to be spontaneous only at high temperatures.

Abstract: The amount of energy consumed is rising daily, which is swiftly depleting the availability of fossil fuels. Because fossil fuels release warming gases into the environment, they have several negative environmental consequences and contribute to global warming. To fulfill the growing demand for high-quality biodiesel, one practical solution is to employ metal: oxide nano-catalysts in transesterification of animal or vegetable oils. this review outlines into the prevalence of various metal oxide nanocatalysts, such as magnesium oxide, calcium oxide, nickel oxide, zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide, which have recently gained popularity as a means to accelerate the production of sustainable biodiesel. Converting typical metal oxide heterogeneous catalysts into nanoparticles enhances their surface configuration, porosity, crystallinity, chemical and thermal stability, and porosity. Metallic oxide nanocatalysts help make more biodiesel by lowering the reaction temperature and length and speeding up the transesterification reaction. Metal oxide nanoparticles assist in the production of biodiesel, which meets international standards and is of exceptional quality. As a result, the metal oxide nanocatalyst may be further optimized as a promising contender for the global energy business in the future.

Abstract: Crude palm oil (CPO) is one of the potential feedstocks for biodiesel production. While CPO has potential as a sustainable biodiesel feedstock, there are still a number of challenges that need to be overcome. One of them is the presence of interfering compounds in CPO, such as free fatty acids and non-triglyceride compounds. This research aims to analyse the density, viscosity, calorific value and identify the types of chemical compounds in CPO for biodiesel production consisting of 100% biodiesel (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester or FAME) without mixture with conventional diesel fuel (fossil diesel). This study used several test samples, including Crude Palm Oil (CPO) and B100 that had been ozonised for 30 minutes (BO30), 60 minutes (BO60), 120 minutes (BO120) and 180 minutes (B0180), then characterised using a bomb calorimeter to identify Higher Heating Value (HHV), density (ASTM D1298), viscosity (ASTM D445), Fourier Transform InfraRed Method (FT-IR), and Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). The results showed that the BO180 fuel mixture had the highest calorific value of 33.40 MJ/kg, the smallest kinematic viscosity of 21.42 cSt, and the density at 40°C showed no change among the biodiesel samples, which was around 0.85 gr/ml. The content of BO180 chemical compounds analysed using GC-MS), there are octadecenoic acid compounds of 44.15%, hexadecenoic acid of 32.92%, and other compounds less than 1%.

Abstract: In this study, we conducted experiments to investigate the use of ultrasonic-assisted alkali-catalyzed transesterification for converting oil extracted from Roselle seed into biodiesel. Our goal was to evaluate how the production yield, and fluid properties of the biodiesel are affected by different operating conditions. Study scopes include the impact of mixing power, time, and volume of reactants. Our findings indicate that the ultrasonic-assisted process is consistently more effective than conventional mixing during the reaction stage. Our results show that the optimal power for ultrasonic production of biodiesel is 150 watts for 30 minutes, resulting in a production yield exceeding 95%. The viscosity and density of the product meet biodiesel standards. Additionally, when the ultrasonic-assisted process is used, glycerin can be removed more easily.

Abstract: Climate change makes the comparison of strategies to mitigate environmental impacts in the production of catalyzed biodiesel derived from animal fat waste a necessity. Transesterification of Bovine Kidney Fat (BKF) into biodiesel is feasible, but the utilized inputs can incur a substantial environmental cost, such as Carbon Footprint (CF). The utilization of Ethanol as a reagent for the transesterification of BKF presents a viable alternative that could influence the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Biodiesel and reduce its CF. This study compares the CF for the LCA of producing 1 kg of Biodiesel for a 1-6 Methanol-BKF and 1-9 Ethanol-BKF ratio, catalyzed by Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) and Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) at 0.35% at 60°C. The LCA was initially defined following ISO 14067:2018 standards, and subsequently, the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Inventory was conducted for each stage of Biodiesel manufacturing. Ultimately, CF was calculated using CCalC2 software for the two examined conditions. Five processes were identified in the manufacturing of Biodiesel from BKF in the LCA stages. The CF for Biodiesel derived from BKF with Methanol is 4.36 kg CO2eq/FU, whereas the CF for Biodiesel derived from BKF with Ethanol + 5mol H2O is 0.246 kg CO2eq/FU. Enhanced environmental performance was evidenced using Ethanol + 5mol H2O for the LCA in BKF Biodiesel manufacturing, exhibiting a 1772.35% improvement over Methanol.

Abstract: The effect of sulfonic agents on the performance of solid acid catalysts in esterification reactions of long-chain fatty acids has been studied. Herein, sulfonated activated carbon with sulfanilic acid (SAC-SA) and sulfuric acid (SAC-SO4) as a sulfonic agent were prepared and used for esterification reaction to convert long-chain fatty acids into methyl esters within 5 h at 65°C. The obtained SAC-SA has a higher surface area than SAC-SO4 of 1301.981 and 1182.096 m²/g, respectively. When SAC-SO4 and SAC-SA catalysts were applied to the esterification reaction, the FAME product conversion results were 74.47 and 46.98 %, respectively. The physical property of SAC-SO4 has more macropores size distribution than mesopores size based on the BJH method. Large pore size on the catalyst will support the diffusion of large organic molecules to improve catalytic ability. The pore size determines the performance of solid acid catalysts, especially in long-chain fatty acid reactants for biodiesel production.