Optimization of acid catalyzed esterification and mixed metal oxide catalyzed transesterification for biodiesel production from Moringa oleifera oil

Abstract

Moringa oleifera oil (MOO), a second-generation lipid feedstock that has been reckoned as a promising feedstock for biodiesel production in recent years. In the current study, crude MOO possessing high acid value (80.5 mg of KOH/g) was subjected to two step esterification and transesterification process for biodiesel production and the process was applied with central composite design (CCD) based response surface methodology (RSM). The results showed that H2SO4 concentration of 0.85 vol%, reaction time of 70.20 min, and methanol to oil ratio of 1:1 (vol/vol) significantly decreased the acid value to 3.10 mg of KOH/g of oil. Moreover, copper oxide-calcium oxide (CuO-CaO) nanoparticles were developed and evaluated as a novel heterogeneous base catalyst for synthesizing Moringa oleifera methyl esters (MOME). The synthesized catalyst was scrutinized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX) analysis. Copper oxide (CuO) was perceived to be the dominant phase in the synthesized catalyst. Highest MOME conversion of 95.24% was achieved using 4 wt% CuO-CaO loading, 0.3:1 (vol/vol) methanol to oil ratio and 150 min reaction time as the optimal process conditions.

Non-Edible Moringa Oleifera Seeds for Environmentally Friendly Biodiesel – A Review

“…The yield of Moringa seed oil can vary from 25% -44% depending on geographic location, soil type, climatic conditions and the extraction method used [19]. Oladipo and Betiku [20] performed extraction from Moringa seeds using different solvents such as hexane, ethyl acetate, and ethanol.…”

“…Apart from methanol, other alcohols commonly used are ethanol, butanol, propanol and iso propanol [22]. The use of methanol as a reactant is due to its cheap price, high quality [23], high reactivity when reacting with triglycerides because it has a short chain [19]. The transesterification process is carried out by heating the oil at a certain temperature.…”

“…The increase in the ratio of methanol and oil according to research by Kafuku et al [9] does not have a major impact on biodiesel conversion. Research by Niju et al [19] stated that the ratio of methanol to oil is more influential in making biodiesel than reaction time. Research by Niju et al [19] optimized the operating conditions and saw the effect of the parameters of the catalyst concentration, reaction time and the ratio of methanol oil to biodiesel yield.…”

“…Research by Niju et al [19] stated that the ratio of methanol to oil is more influential in making biodiesel than reaction time. Research by Niju et al [19] optimized the operating conditions and saw the effect of the parameters of the catalyst concentration, reaction time and the ratio of methanol oil to biodiesel yield. The result is that the catalyst concentration is the most influential parameter among other parameters [19].…”

“…Research by Niju et al [19] optimized the operating conditions and saw the effect of the parameters of the catalyst concentration, reaction time and the ratio of methanol oil to biodiesel yield. The result is that the catalyst concentration is the most influential parameter among other parameters [19]. Research by Rashid et al [26] also stated that the parameters which have a strong influence on ester formation are the catalyst concentration and the methanol oil ratio.…”