A comparative study of vegetable oil methyl esters (biodiesels)

In the present study, rubber seed oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil, which are locally available especially in Kerala (India), are chosen and their transesterification processes have been investigated. The various process variables like temperature, catalyst concentration, amount of methanol and reaction time were optimized. Biodiesel from rubber seed oil (with high free fatty acid) was produced by employing two-step pretreatment process (acid esterification) to reduce acid value from 48 to 1.72mg KOH/g with 0.40 and 0.35 v/v methanol–oil ratio and 1.0% v/v H2SO4 as catalyst at a temperature of 63(±2)°C with 1h reaction time followed by transesterification using methanol–oil ratio of 0.30 v/v, 0.5 w/v KOH as alkaline catalyst at 55(±2)°C with 40min reaction time to yield 98–99% biodiesel. Coconut oil and palm oil, being edible oils, transesterification with 0.25 v/v methanol–oil ratio, 0.50% w/v KOH as at 58(±2)°C, 20min reaction time for coconut oil and 0.25% v/v methanol–oil ratio, 0.50% w/v KOH as alkaline catalyst at 60(±2)°C for palm kernel oil will convert them to 98–99% biodiesel. The brake thermal efficiency of palm oil biodiesel was higher with lower brake specific fuel consumption, but rubber seed oil biodiesel(ROB) showed less emission (CO and NOx) compared to other biodiesels.

[1]  A. Demirbas,et al.  Biodiesel fuels from vegetable oils via catalytic and non-catalytic supercritical alcohol transesterifications and other methods: a survey , 2003 .

[2]  Robert L. McCormick,et al.  Combustion of fat and vegetable oil derived fuels in diesel engines , 1998 .

[3]  Ruihong Zhang,et al.  A two-step process for biodiesel production from salmon oil , 2008 .

[4]  Chakrit Tongurai,et al.  Production of biodiesel using rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) seed oil , 2005 .

[5]  V Pradeep,et al.  Evaluation of Performance, Emission and Combustion Parameters of a CI Engine Fuelled with Bio-Diesel from Rubber Seed Oil and its Blends , 2005 .

[6]  Carlos R. P. Belchior,et al.  Performance of a diesel generator fuelled with palm oil , 2002 .

[7]  A. Tsolakis,et al.  Engine performance and emissions of a diesel engine operating on diesel-RME (rapeseed methyl ester) blends with EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) , 2007 .

[8]  J. Marchetti,et al.  ESTERIFICATION OF FREE FATTY ACIDS USING SULFURIC ACID AS CATALYST IN THE PRESENCE OF TRIGLYCERIDES , 2008 .

[9]  Dimitrios Karonis,et al.  Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) seed oil as an alternative feedstock for the production of biodiesel in Greece , 2009 .

[10]  H. Raheman,et al.  Biodiesel production from mahua (Madhuca indica) oil having high free fatty acids , 2005 .

[11]  Jun Wang,et al.  Oil from biomass corncob tar as a fuel , 2007 .

[12]  S. M. Sapuan,et al.  The Use of Palm Oil as Diesel Fuel Substitute , 1996 .

[13]  A. Saydut,et al.  Methyl ester of peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) seed oil as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production , 2009 .

[14]  S. Saradha,et al.  Biodiesel production process optimization and characterization to assess the suitability of the product for varied environmental conditions , 2009 .

[15]  S. Jayaraj,et al.  Performance and emission evaluation of a diesel engine fueled with methyl esters of rubber seed oil , 2005 .

[16]  Avinash Kumar Agarwal,et al.  Performance and emissions characteristics of Jatropha oil (preheated and blends) in a direct injection compression ignition engine , 2007 .

[17]  D. Leung,et al.  Transesterification of neat and used frying oil : Optimization for biodiesel production , 2006 .

[18]  Aizoh Kubo,et al.  Performance, emissions and wear characteristics of an indirect injection diesel engine using coconut oil blended fuel , 2001 .

[19]  Soosan Rowshanzamir,et al.  Castor oil transesterification reaction: A kinetic study and optimization of parameters , 2010 .

[20]  Ram Prasad,et al.  TRIGLYCERIDES-BASED DIESEL FUELS , 2000 .

[21]  O. Njoku,et al.  Production of biodiesel using rubber [Hevea brasiliensis (Kunth. Muell.)] seed oil , 2000 .

[22]  S. Jayaraj,et al.  Characterization and effect of using rubber seed oil as fuel in the compression ignition engines , 2005 .

[23]  K. Reddy,et al.  Experimental Investigation of Pongamia, Jatropha and Neem Methyl Esters as Biodiesel on C.I. Engine , 2008 .

[24]  Kok Tat Tan,et al.  Potential of waste palm cooking oil for catalyst-free biodiesel production , 2011 .

[25]  M. S. Radwan,et al.  Jojoba methyl ester as a diesel fuel substitute: Preparation and characterization , 2007 .

[26]  L. C. Meher,et al.  Optimization of alkali-catalyzed transesterification of Pongamia pinnata oil for production of biodiesel. , 2006, Bioresource technology.

[27]  N. Usta.  An experimental study on performance and exhaust emissions of a diesel engine fuelled with tobacco seed oil methyl ester , 2005 .

[28]  J. V. Gerpen,et al.  BIODIESEL PRODUCTION FROM OILS AND FATS WITH HIGH FREE FATTY ACIDS , 2001 .

[29]  R. S. Hosmath,et al.  Performance and emission characteristics of a DI compression ignition engine operated on Honge, Jatropha and sesame oil methyl esters , 2008 .

[30]  Spencer C. Sorenson,et al.  Combustion of Soybean Oil Methyl Ester in a Direct Injection Diesel Engine , 1993 .

[31]  Saiful Bari,et al.  Performance deterioration and durability issues while running a diesel engine with crude palm oil , 2002 .

[32]  D. Boocock,et al.  Fast formation of high-purity methyl esters from vegetable oils , 1998 .

[33]  H. Raheman,et al.  Diesel engine emissions and performance from blends of karanja methyl ester and diesel , 2004 .

[34]  A. Demirbas,et al.  Biodiesel production from vegetable oils via catalytic and non-catalytic supercritical methanol transesterification methods , 2005 .

[35]  S. Saravanan,et al.  Combustion characteristics of a stationary diesel engine fuelled with a blend of crude rice bran oil methyl ester and diesel , 2010 .

[36]  G. Nagarajan,et al.  Performance, emission and combustion characteristics of a compression ignition engine operating on neat orange oil , 2009 .