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Continuous Low Cost Transesterification Process for the Production of Coconut Biodiesel

Author

Listed:
  • Gajendra Kumar

    (Department of Chemistry, Sahu Jain College, Najibabad, 246763, India)

  • D. Kumar

    (Department of Chemistry, Sahu Jain College, Najibabad, 246763, India)

  • Shailandra Singh

    (Department of Chemistry, Sahu Jain College, Najibabad, 246763, India)

  • S. Kothari

    (Department of Chemistry, Sahu Jain College, Najibabad, 246763, India)

  • Sumit Bhatt

    (Department of Chemistry, Sahu Jain College, Najibabad, 246763, India)

  • Chandra P. Singh

    (Department of Chemistry, Sahu Jain College, Najibabad, 246763, India)

Abstract

Biodiesel, or alkyl ester, is an alternative renewable, biodegradable, and non-toxic diesel fuel produced by the catalytic transesterification of vegetable oil. Here we characterize a system for continuous transesterification of vegetable oil using five continuous stirring tank reactors (5CSTRs). We tested residence times of 16–43min, stirring speeds of 200–800rpm, a catalyst concentration (KOH) of 0.25–1 wt% of oil (in gram), different total flow rates of the oil and MeOH, and on the production performance of the 5 stage continuous reactor for transesterification of vegetable oil. Using a molar ratio of oil:methanol of 1:7 and a reaction temperature of 65 °C, we show that a high stirring speed increased the reaction rate, but an excessive stir speed decreased the reaction rate and conversion to biodiesel. Furthermore, a higher catalyst percentage significantly increased the reaction rate and production capacity. A catalyst percentage of 1 wt% of oil gave the best conversion; 99.04 ± 0.05%. The resulting biodiesel esters were characterized for their physical and fuel properties including density, viscosity, iodine volume, acid volume, cloud point, pure point, gross heat of combustion, and volatility. The purity and conversion of the biodiesel was analyzed by HPLC.

Suggested Citation

  • Gajendra Kumar & D. Kumar & Shailandra Singh & S. Kothari & Sumit Bhatt & Chandra P. Singh, 2010. "Continuous Low Cost Transesterification Process for the Production of Coconut Biodiesel," Energies, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-14, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:3:y:2010:i:1:p:43-56:d:6827
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jahirul, M.I. & Rasul, M.G. & Brown, R.J. & Senadeera, W. & Hosen, M.A. & Haque, R. & Saha, S.C. & Mahlia, T.M.I., 2021. "Investigation of correlation between chemical composition and properties of biodiesel using principal component analysis (PCA) and artificial neural network (ANN)," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 632-646.
    2. Kumaran, P. & Mazlini, Nur & Hussein, Ibrahim & Nazrain, M. & Khairul, M., 2011. "Technical feasibility studies for Langkawi WCO (waste cooking oil) derived-biodiesel," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 1386-1393.
    3. Gupta, Jharna & Agarwal, Madhu & Dalai, A.K., 2019. "Intensified transesterification of mixture of edible and nonedible oils in reverse flow helical coil reactor for biodiesel production," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 509-525.
    4. Rajesh, K. & Natarajan, M.P. & Devan, P.K. & Ponnuvel, S., 2021. "Coconut fatty acid distillate as novel feedstock for biodiesel production and its characterization as a fuel for diesel engine," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 1424-1435.
    5. Shurooq T. Al-Humairi & Jonathan G. M. Lee & Musa Salihu & Adam P. Harvey, 2022. "Biodiesel Production through Acid Catalyst In Situ Reactive Extraction of Chlorella vulgaris Foamate," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-20, June.
    6. Wahyudi & I.N.G. Wardana & Agung Widodo & Widya Wijayanti, 2018. "Improving Vegetable Oil Properties by Transforming Fatty Acid Chain Length in Jatropha Oil and Coconut Oil Blends," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-12, February.
    7. Rosmahadi, Nurulfarah Adilah & Rawindran, Hemamalini & Lim, Jun Wei & Kiatkittipong, Worapon & Assabumrungrat, Suttichai & Najdanovic-Visak, Vesna & Wang, Jiawei & Chidi, Boredi Silas & Ho, Chii-Dong , 2022. "Enhancing growth environment for attached microalgae to populate onto spent coffee grounds in producing biodiesel," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).

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