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Different kinds of vegetable oils and their methyl/ethyl esters have been tested in diesel engines. However, studies reporting the effects of tobacco seed oil and Tobacco Seed Oil Methyl Ester (TSOME) on emissions of diesel engines are limited. One of the most important issues is to investigate parameters that affect the yield of biodiesel and their interactions on emissions of a diesel engine. The Taguchi method is a useful tool for this purpose. Two different catalysts (KOH and NaOH), four different blends (B10, B20, B50 and B100) and four engine speeds were used during full-load tests. Optimal catalyst type, engine speed and TSOME blends on exhaust emissions were determined using Taguchi's technique. The Taguchi design method revealed that choosing right catalyst and the blend rate are important two factors in view of minimisation of pollutant emissions.

Reaction temperature, alcohol/oil molar ratio, type and amount of catalyst, reaction duration, and the water content in free fatty acid are the most important parameters in biodiesel production by the transesterification method. Thus, it is important to define the optimum values of these parameters to achieve the EN 14214 standards. In this study, optimum levels of the variables affecting the yield of tobacco seed oil methyl ester (TSOME) for KOH and NaOH catalysts are investigated. Reaction temperatures of 40, 50, and 60 °C, alcohol/ oil molar ratios of 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, and 1:10, and the addition of 0.5, 1, and 1.5% KOH catalyst of tobacco seed oil (TSO) were chosen as parameters. Effects of these parameters on kinematic viscosity, flash point, and freezing points are also investigated. The effect of the reaction duration on the yield of ester is also studied.

In this article, the production of biodiesel through transesterification of acorn (Quercus frainetto L.) kernel oil was studied. Acorn kernel oil with high free fatty acid content was used as feedstock to produce biodiesel. Two stages were used to produce biodiesel after obtaining the acorn kernel oil in the presence of a base catalyst (KOH) to yield methyl esters of fatty acids and glycerin. The various process variables such as alcohol:oil molar ratio, reaction temperature, catalyst concentration, and reaction time were optimized with the objective of producing acorn kernel oil biodiesel with maximum yield. The optimum conditions for transesterification of acorn kernel oil with methanol and KOH as catalyst were stated as 50°C reaction temperature, 1 h reaction time, 8:1 molar ratio of acorn kernel oil to alcohol, and 1% catalyst (w/w). All of the other measured fuel properties of the acorn kernel methyl ester met the international standards EN 14214. Thus, the produced acorn kernel oil methyl ester was characterized to be used as a fuel in engines. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 33: 625–628, 2014