Production of biodiesel from Vietnamese Jatropha curcas oil by a co-solvent method

Abstract

Biodiesel fuels (BDFs) was successfully produced from Vietnamese Jatropha curcas oil with high content of free fatty acids (FFAs) in two stages. In the first stage, the esterification process was carried out with the optimal conditions as follows; a methanol-to-FFAs molar ratio of 6:1, 1 wt% H2SO4, at a temperature of 65 °C, and using 30% (wt/wt) acetonitrile as co-solvent. This step reduced the concentration of FFAs in the reaction mixture from 15.93 to 2 wt% in 60 min. In the second stage, the transesterification process generated fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) with 99% efficiency was performed in 30 min with the optimal conditions as follows; a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 6:1, 1 wt% KOH, at a temperature of 40 °C, and 20% (wt/wt) acetone as co-solvent. The produced biodiesel quality meets the standards JIS K2390 and EN 14214 regarding FAME yield, FFAs and water contents.

Co-Solvent Transesterification of Bitter Almond Oil Into Biodiesel: Optimization of Variables and Characterization of Biodiesel

“…Co-solvent transesterification of BAO with methanol resulted in maximum yield of BD when the process was conducted at 32 °C. Encinar et al (2010) found that 30 °C was the optimal temperature for co-solvent methanolysis of rapeseed, whereas Mohammed-Dabo et al (2012) and Luu et al (2014) found that 40 °C was the optimal temperature to produce maximum yield of BD from the esterified Jatropha curcas oil via co-solvent process. Chemical composition of the feedstock oils could be the main reason for this variation in the optimal temperature required for maximum conversion among various feedstock oils.…”

“…Alhassan et al (2014) mentioned that co-solvent transesterification of cotton seed oil required 45 minutes of the reaction to yid the highest conversion, whereas co-solvent methanolysis of rapeseed oil took 60 minutes of the reaction to reach maximum conversion. Mohammed-Dabo et al (2012) investigated co-solvent transesterification of pre-esterified Jatroph curcas seed oil at various durations and found that a duration of 50 minutes was the optimal, whereas Luu et al (2014) found that the optimal reaction time for transesterification of the esterified Jatropha curcas oil was 60 minutes. Regarding type of co-solvent utilized during transesterification, it was noticed that hexane was the optimal co-solvent used for transesterification of BAO with methanol compared to other co-solvents.…”

“…It was found that 5:1 was the optimal methanol to oil molar ration during co-solvent transesterification of BAO. Luu et al (2014) and Mohammed-Dabo et al (2012) found that 6:1 and 4:1 were the optimal methanol to oil molar ratios co-solvent transesterification of the Vietnamese esterified Jatroph curcas seed oil and Jatroph curcas seed oil, respectively. This variation in the optimal methanol to oil molar ratio among different feedstocks may be attributed to the varied nature of the feedstock oils as well as type of co-solvent used.…”

“…As regard the catalyst concentration, the best concentration of KOH which resulted in maximum yield of BD was 0.60% w/w. Encinar et al (2010) investigated co-solvent methanolysis of rapeseed oil using various concentrations of KOH and found that 0.75% w/w was the optimal concentration, while Luu et al(2014) reported maximum conversion of the esterified Jatroph curcas seed oil into BD using 1.0% KOH w/w. Alhassan et al(2014) found that 0.75% w/w of KOH was the best concentration for co-solvent transesterification of cotton seed oil into BD.…”

Gas Emissions and Mutagenic Effects of Diesel and Biodiesel Fuels

“…Although previous studies have shown some negative aspects related to the use of biodiesel, such as increased emissions of low-molecular-weight methyl esters (LMW-ME) [1], carbonyl compounds [2], increased ozone formation potential (OFP) [3] and increased NOx concentration compared to conventional diesel fuel emission [2], BDF is still the popular alternative fuel for the future because of features such as eco-friendly, renewable resource, degradable that is directly able to replace petro diesel in many engines without specific modification. In addition, BDF can be made from waste or inedible oil such waste cooking [4], cotton [5], Jatropha [6] or rubber [7] seed oil.…”