Experimental Study on Low Cost Biodiesel Production Alkaline Based Catalysts by Using Frying Oil

• Main Authors: M.Zamberi, Mahanum, Ayob, Md Razali
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MTUN UTeM 2011
• Subjects: TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
• Online Access: http://eprints.utem.edu.my/id/eprint/4289/1/Experimental_Study_Low_Cost_Biodisel_Production_Alkaline_Based_Catalysts_by_Using_Frying_Oil.pdf; http://eprints.utem.edu.my/id/eprint/4289/; http://jet.utem.edu.my/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=19&dir=DESC&order=name&Itemid=47&limit=5&limitstart=5
• Institution: Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka

The primary aim of this research is to investigate the best alkaline-based for the UFO biodiesel production, using the alkaline catalyzed transesterification method. Transesterification reaction of UFO with methanol, in the presence of several alkaline-based catalysts, is carried out under identical typical transesterification process parameters. The effects of catalyst formulation on biodiesel yield are evaluated by using five different alkaline catalysts, sodium hydroxide (NaOH), potassium hydroxide (KOH), sodium methoxide (NaOCH3), mixture of NaOH and KOH, and mixture of KOH and NaOCH3 in the UFO biodiesel conversion process. A sample of virgin oil (VO) biodiesel is produced using NaOH catalyst, as the comparison reference for UFO biodiesel. The highest yield for UFO biodiesel production in this research was achieved by NaOCH3 catalyst, which gave 96.2% which shown that the NaOCH3 catalyst had advantages in yields-effective and times-effective for the biodiesel production. However, for commercialize purpose, the cost of NaOCH3 was too high which had made it not practical to use. In order to have a balance between yield-effective, times-effective, and cost effective characteristics, the mixture of KOH and NaOH catalyst was found to be the optimum catalyst in this biodiesel production study.