Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Ayowumi Rita Soji-Adekunle; Betiku Eriola; Abraham A. Asere
Abstract
This study used ternary substrates consisting of honne, neem, and yellow oleander (HONOYO) oil blend to produce methyl-esters for sustainability of raw materials for biodiesel synthesis. A biomass-based catalyst from calcined mixed agro-wastes consisting of kolanut pod, cocoa pod, and plantain peel ash ...
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This study used ternary substrates consisting of honne, neem, and yellow oleander (HONOYO) oil blend to produce methyl-esters for sustainability of raw materials for biodiesel synthesis. A biomass-based catalyst from calcined mixed agro-wastes consisting of kolanut pod, cocoa pod, and plantain peel ash was employed to transesterify the blend. A two-step method was adopted to convert HONOYO into methyl-esters. Taguchi L9 experimental design tool was used to ascertain the interactive effects of microwave irradiation power (W), Methanol/oil ratio (MeOH), time (min), and agro-wastes synthesized catalyst ASC (wt %) on the yield of methyl-esters from HONOYO. Results demonstrated that at 3:1 MeOH, microwave power of 150 W, ASC of 1.5 wt %, and reaction time of 1 minute, a yield of 80.96 % was achieved. HONOYOB satisfied ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 standards. Performance evaluation of the process input variables suggests weight of ASC as the most significant process parameters for HONOYOB yield. This work authenticates that biomass catalyst from agricultural wastes can adequately be applied to synthesis biodiesel effectively from blends of non-edible oils to supplement fossil diesel.
Mohammad Kord; Seyed Mojtaba Sadrameli; Barat Ghobadian
Abstract
The purpose of this research work was to investigate the optimum operating conditions for biodiesel production from castor oil using a microwave. The Box–Behnken design of experiment was carried out using the Design Expert 7. A response surface methodology (RSM) was used to analyze the influence ...
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The purpose of this research work was to investigate the optimum operating conditions for biodiesel production from castor oil using a microwave. The Box–Behnken design of experiment was carried out using the Design Expert 7. A response surface methodology (RSM) was used to analyze the influence of the process variables (molar ratio of methanol to castor oil, catalyst concentration, reaction time, and microwave power) on the biodiesel yield. Optimizing biodiesel production reaction based on the yield of reaction by means of response surface method showed that 1.44 wt.% of catalyst concentration, 7.12:1 molar ratio of alcohol to oil, microwave power of 500 W and 120 seconds of reaction time produces the best results for maximizing the conversion percent. Finally, Biodiesel samples were analyzed with Gas Chromatography (GC) method for determination of fatty acid methyl ester yield. The yield of reaction obtained was 92.15% with above operating conditions and temperature of output flow was 58 oC.