EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CATALYST BLEND OVER SINGLE CATALYST FOR BIODIESEL PRODUCTION

ABSTRACT

This study evaluates the effectiveness of catalyst blend over single catalysts in biodiesel production process under consistent reaction conditions. The catalysts investigated include corn horn, anthill, pawpaw stem, and a blend of all three. Twelve experimental runs were conducted, with each catalyst tested in three separate runs. The reaction conditions were kept constant with a reaction temperature of 58.1°C, catalyst loading of 1 wt%, reaction time of 125 minutes, and a methanol to oil ratio of 10.26. The results demonstrated significant variability in biodiesel yields across different catalysts. The corn horn catalyst showed inconsistent performance with yields ranging from 5.76% to 19.54%. The anthill catalyst produced the lowest and most inconsistent yields, ranging from 1.92% to 13.98%. In contrast, the pawpaw stem catalyst yielded higher and more consistent results, with yields between 13.08% and 24.56%. Notably, the blend of all three catalysts exhibited the highest and most consistent yields, ranging from 19.54% to 29.9%, suggesting a synergistic effect that enhances biodiesel production.

The findings indicate that while individual natural catalysts like pawpaw stem show promise, combining multiple catalysts can significantly improve biodiesel yields. This study provides a basis for further research into optimizing natural catalyst combinations to enhance the efficiency and yield of biodiesel production processes.