Abstract
The selection of raw materials is the cost-wise strategy for biodiesel to compete with diesel. The raw material used in the second generation of biodiesel production is non-edible oil which contains high free fatty acids (FFA). Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (PFAD); the by-product of crude palm oil (CPO) industry has a high potential as the amount is abundant in Indonesia. The objective of this study is to compare the catalytic activity of esterification reaction using self-synthesized sulphated alumina and a sulphuric acid catalyst against the reduction of FFA. The reaction was carried out in a three-necked flask, at a temperature of 60°C, 7 hours of reaction time and rotation speed of 400 rpm. The results showed that the maximum FFA conversion of PFAD esterification reactions over sulphated alumina was 84%, achieved at methanol to oil ratio of 1.7 (v/v), catalyst to PFAD ratio of 12 % (w/w) and reaction time of 7 hours. Meanwhile, the optimum conditions for PFAD esterification usingsulphuric acid catalyst are methanol to oil volume ratio of 1.5; catalyst to PFAD ratio of 7.4 wt.% and 3 hours of reaction time. 99.34% of FFA conversion was achieved with the homogeneous catalyst.
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