Production and Characterization of Biodiesel from Castor Seed Oil Using Cocoa Pod Ash as Catalyst

Abstract

A major problem retarding the commercialization of biodiesel is the derivation of catalysts and feedstocks from high‐cost materials. Hence, the following proposal is being put forward to mitigate this challenge: Extract and characterize castor oil, synthesize and characterize cocoa pod ash as the base catalyst, and apply the base catalyst for biodiesel production. Cocoa pods were heated at 600 °C for 35 min in a muffle furnace and the product sieved to obtain ash with uniform size distribution. The yield of castor oil extracted was 42 %, and the synthesized catalyst was capable of transesterifying the extracted oil. Castor oil was converted to biodiesel with cocoa pod ash as catalyst. A biodiesel yield of 88 % was obtained. The catalyst was characterized by various methods to confirm the presence of active sites. The physicochemical properties of the biodiesel product are consistent with literature values.