PRODUCTION AND OPTIMIZATION OF BIODIESEL FROM JATROPHA OIL USING CU-DOPED PERIWINKLE SHELLS.

ABSTRACT

Biodiesel, as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, has garnered significant attention due to its environmental and economic benefits. This research work investigates the production and optimization of biodiesel from jatropha oil, a promising feedstock, utilizing copper-doped periwinkle shells as a novel study. The catalyst was prepared by impregnating calcinated periwinkle shells with Copper Nitrate to increase its catalytic activities, while the production of the biodiesel followed a transesterification process. Parameters such as reaction temperature (64°C), methanol-to-oil molar ratio (6-18), catalyst loading (1-5 wt%), agitation speed (460 rpm), and reaction time (60-90 minutes) were closely monitored as per the experimental design. The Response Surface Methodology design approach was employed to optimize the transesterification conditions. The optimum yield was gotten to be 95.07% at optimum conditions of 63 minutes for the reaction time, 17.8 for the methanol-to-oil molar ratio, and 12.2 wt% for the catalytic concentration while maintaining constant conditions of temperature and agitation speed at 64°C and 460 rpm respectively. The catalyst developed in this study demonstrated costeffectiveness, as it exhibited robust catalytic performance. The physiochemical properties of the produced biodiesel such as cetane number (56), flash point (144), viscosity (5.72), etc., were also found to be conforming to the American and European standards and can be used as fuel for diesel engines.