Used Cooking Oils as a Source Material for Biodiesel Production: Case Study for Kitwe Town, Zambia

Abstract

The escalating prices on the world market, depreciation of fossils fuel reserves and environmental concerns has lead to the quest for the alternatives sustainable renewable energy sources. The past decades have witnessed innovations developed to produce biodiesels from various sources such as Groundnuts, Soya beans, Palm oils, Canola, Sunflower, Castor nuts and Jatropha plants and animal fats. However, most of these raw materials are competitive as food sources in human food chain. This research assesses the use of Used Cooking Oils (UCOs) from food outlets in Kitwe Town, Zambia as source for biodiesel production. Of equal importance is the assessment of environmental impact of the current waste management practices employed in disposal of UCOs. Data was obtained by administering questionnaires to various food outlets. The study revealed that approximately 8500 L/year of UCO would be generated from the sampled area. Fast food outlets accounted for 76% of the overall UCOs production in the sampled area. It was found that UCOs were mainly disposed through drainage into Municipal Sewers with the possibility of fatberg generation. Reuse of the UCO by the correspondents was a common practice and any leftover was disposed into the environment. The results of this study indicated the UCOs could be a major source material for biodiesel production.

Effect of usage on the fatty acid composition and properties of neat palm oil, waste palm oil, and waste palm oil methyl ester

“…This degradation affects the properties, fatty acid composition and the degree of saturation of the oil thereby lowering the quality of the oil. Repeated heating of palm oil at elevated temperatures for prolonged periods has been found to render the oil harmful for human consumption [20][21][22][23]. The process of transesterification is known to be a simple and low-cost conversion technique resulting in high conversion efficiency and better combustion in CI engines [24], [25].…”

Comparative Study of Properties and Fatty Acid Composition of Neat and Waste Palm Oils

“…Repeated exposure of palm oil to high temperatures for a long period of time has been found to render the oil harmful for human consumption. Inappropriate disposal of the used palm oil has created environmental problems, block the sewer pipes, corrode metals and concrete structures [10][11][12][13]. Researches on the utilization of waste palm oil (WPO) as affordable and readily available feedstock for biodiesel production has been conducted in recent years with encouraging outcomes [14][15][16].…”