OPTIMIZATION OF BIODIESEL PRODUCTION FROM ALMOND SEED OIL

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to develop a new composite heterogeneous catalyst, Pig bones – Almond shell - Co(NO3)2 - Li2CO3 mixed oxides (PB-AS-Co(NO3)2- Li2CO3), for the production of biodiesel via transesterification of Almond Seed oil. The catalyst was synthesized using an incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) method and was characterised using scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) analysis. The effects of parameters affecting the catalytic reaction, reaction temperature (40–80 °C), reaction time (60-150 mins), catalyst loading (1–5wt%), and methanol-to-oil ratio (6:1–15:1) were investigated. . The data obtained showed that the maximum biodiesel yield of 73.8215% could be obtained at a reaction temperature of 61.101°C, reaction time of 114 mins, with a catalyst loading of 3 wt% and methanol-to-oil ratio of 6:1. The transesterification experiments were planned using a Box-Behnken design (BBD) while the response surface methodology (RSM) expert system were evaluated to assess its capacity to model and optimise the process. The results of characterisation of the catalyst indicated the suitability of the catalyst for the transesterification reaction which was attributedto the dominant elements which were Calcium (Ca), Silicon (Si), Oxygen (O) and Carbon (C).