Catalytic Transesterification of Used Cooking Oil to Biodiesel: Effect of Oil-Methanol Molar Ratio and Reaction Time

Abstract

Used cooking oil has the potential as biodiesel so that it can reduce environmental pollution. Transesterification of triglycerides in used cooking oil with an alcohol to form methyl esters of fatty acids or biodiesel and glycerol. The type of catalyst is one of the determinants of the transesterification reaction and coal fly ash has the potential to be used as a catalyst in the production of biodiesel. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effect of the oil-methanol ratio and the time of the transesterification of used cooking oil to the yield of biodiesel produced using an alkali-activated fly ash catalyst. Transesterification is carried out at 60 °C, the stirring speed is 700 rpm, and the amount of catalyst load is 4%. The result, the highest yield of biodiesel reached almost 89%. This biodiesel consists of 48.86% methyl oleate and 33.86% methyl palmitate and has a density that meets the Indonesian National Standard, which is 0.85 - 0.90 g/cm3. Finally, the BET test on the fly ash catalyst shows a catalyst surface area of ​​around 104.106 m2/g.

An Experimental Study on the Ignition Behavior of Blended Fuels Droplets with Crude Coconut Oil and Liquid Metal Catalyst

“…Moreover, the conversion process of crude vegetable oil into biodiesel requires more energy, cost, and materials [3]. Revaluation of the conversion process, such as the transesterification and the esterification of crude vegetable oils is essential for energy-efficient conversion processes and cost reduction [4]. On the other hand, when vegetable oil is used as an alternative fuel, the very important thing to note is the combustion characteristics of the fuel [5].…”

Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil: Characterization, Modeling and Optimization

“…On the other hand, the cost analysis for biodiesel production reveals that 60-70% was related to the type of oil used for production [9]. Therefore, low-cost feedstocks like non-edible oils of jatropha, neem, pongamia, mahua, animal fat, etc., are preferred for biodiesel production [10]. Similarly, used or waste cooking oils (WCO) are also gaining more significance for biodiesel production because the availability of WCO is more in populated countries like India and China.…”

Synthesis of Bio-additive for Low Sulphur Diesel: Transesterification of Soybean Oil and Ethylene Glycol using K2CO3 Catalyst

“…Most of the lubrication enhancing additives are fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and fatty acid ethyl ester (FAEE), which are made by transesterification of vegetable oils with simple monohydroxy alcohols, namely methanol and ethanol [5], [16][17][18]. Alkyl ester compounds can also be made with polyhydroxy alcohols, such as ethylene glycol to produce 2-hydroxyethyl ester compounds [10].…”