Optimization of coconut oil ethyl esters reaction variables and prediction model of its blends with diesel fuel for density and kinematic viscosity

Abstract

This paper presents the synthesis of biodiesel from coconut oil sourced from Nigeria through base-catalyzed transesterification using potassium hydroxide (KOH) as catalyst and ethanol as solvent. Direct transesterification reactions were carried out due to low free fatty acid value (0.65 mg KOH/g oil). The reaction variables optimized were: KOH amount (0.5À2.25 wt.%), reaction temperature (30À80 C), reaction time (30À70 min) and ethanol to oil molar ratio (3À12). Physico-chemical properties of the coconut oil and fuel properties of the coconut oil ethyl esters (CNOEE) were determined using standard test methods, and the properties of the latter were compared with biodiesel standards. Also, the density and viscosity of diesel fuel blends (B5, B10, B20 and B50) with CNOEE were determined and the viscosities compared with that of the Grunberg and Nissan model. In this study, the optimum reaction variables obtained (KOH amount D 1.0 wt.%, ethanol/oil molar ratio D 6:1, reaction temperature D 70 C, reaction time D 60 min) gave a biodiesel yield of 97.20% and the fuel properties of CNOEE at the optimum conditions conformed to both ASTM D6751 and EU 14214 standards. There was agreement between the measured and estimated values for the density and viscosities of CNOEEÀdiesel blends. The results indicate that the density and viscosities of the blends increased with the increased of biodiesel percentage in the blends.

Valorization of mixed radish seed oil and Prunus armeniaca L. oil as a promising feedstock for biodiesel production: Evaluation and analysis of biodiesels

“…Moreover, the separation of the BD from glycerin during settlement becomes very hard. [47][48][49] It was observed that increasing the reaction temperature enhanced the BD yield as a fact that the separation of glycerin may be accelerated by raising the reaction temperature. 41 Similar findings were also announced by Eevera and Pazhanichamy 42 and Verma et al 43 Alcohol is a basic reactant during the alcoholysis reaction because it owns a great impact on the conversion.…”

The Development of Expeller for Kernel based Seed and its Oil Characterization

“…Oil having viscosity might cause engine misfiring, engine deposits and poor atomization in diesel engines [44][45]. The flash point (FhP) of the PKO (242 0 C) was within the range of the earlier works reported by other researchers [38,40,41]. However, the FhP was much higher than the specified value of European and American standards.…”

“…These properties, namely, viscosity, density, flash point and pour points, are further compared with those of coconut oil (CNO), waste cooking oil (WCO), palm kernel oil and Jatropha seed oil from other researchers. The density of PKO (895 kg/m3) was lower than the density of oils specified by other researchers [38][39][40][41][42][43] and it was within the range specified by European Union standard (860 -900 kg/m 3 ). The viscosity of PKO (33.20 mm 2 /s) was comparable to those of other researchers [38,39,41,43] and it was within the norms specified by European Union specification (3.5 -5.0 mm 2 /s) and ASTM standard (1.9 -6.0 mm 2 /s).…”

“…The density of PKO (895 kg/m3) was lower than the density of oils specified by other researchers [38][39][40][41][42][43] and it was within the range specified by European Union standard (860 -900 kg/m 3 ). The viscosity of PKO (33.20 mm 2 /s) was comparable to those of other researchers [38,39,41,43] and it was within the norms specified by European Union specification (3.5 -5.0 mm 2 /s) and ASTM standard (1.9 -6.0 mm 2 /s). Oil having viscosity might cause engine misfiring, engine deposits and poor atomization in diesel engines [44][45].…”

“…Palm kernel oil can be blended with diesel to promote its wide application in cold region. [38]; c, Samuel [39]), d, Musa [40]; e, Bello et al [41] f, Aladetuyi et al [42]; g, Pradhan and Kumar [43].…”