Comparative analysis of the effect of different alkaline catalysts on biodiesel yield.
Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: : A major challenge in the biodiesel industry is the comparatively high cost of raw materials for production. A cost build-up analysis of biodiesel production from J. curcas oil shows that catalyst alone contributes about 50.9 % of the total production cost. This paper aims at highlighting the effects of two different commonly used catalysts on the yield of biodiesel. Samples of biodiesel were produced by three different methods namely single stage transesterification (SST), double stage transesterification (DST) and foolproof (FP) processes in which sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) were used. The effects of each catalyst on the production yield were analyzed and compared. NaOH gave production yields of 79%, 81% and 84 % for the SST, DST and FP processes respectively. KOH produced comparatively lower yields of 68%, 71 % and 75 % for SST, DST and fool proof processes respectively. Although the use of KOH slightly raises the cost of biodiesel production as compared to NaOH, the local production of KOH from cocoa husks could minimize the production cost. Abbreviations: BDF = Biodiesel fuel; PDF = Petroleum diesel fuel; DF = Diesel fuel Key words: Transesterification Alkaline catalysts Biodiesel yield Biodiesel KOH NaOH
Language: English
Subfield: Fuel Technology
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2129168591