Acid-Base Catalyzed Transesterification of &lt;i&gt;Archontopheonix cunninghamiana&lt;/i&gt; (Bangalow Palm) Seed Oil

G.I Ndukwe,A.T Ugboaja

doi:10.4314/jasem.v23i9.17

Abstract

Currently, majority of global energy is sourced from petrochemicals which comes with its attendant environmental challenges. Efforts are therefore focused on developing renewable sources for energy and biofuel is in the front burner for these alternatives. In this paper, we explored Archontopheonix cunninghamiana seed; an inedible and waste material, as an opportunity for alternative feedstock for biodiesel production. The oil extraction recorded a low yield which may not be economically viable; the transesterification of extracted oil gave 94.56% yield of biodiesel. Physicochemical analyses of the produced biodiesel showed viscosity of biodiesel to be 2.64 mm2 /s, which is within American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) and EN590:1999 petrol diesel specifications. It also has a pour point value of 8 °C which is within acceptable range of European Committee for Standardization EN590:2008 for petrol diesel. The flashpoint was found to be 110 °C which make for easy handling and transportation and agrees with EN14214:2008 minimum value of 101 °C. Spectroscopic studies done on the extracted oil and the produced biodiesel showed successful transesterification of the oil and good biodiesel quality.Keywords: Archontopheonix cunninghamiana, bangalow palm, transesterification, biodiesel

Highlights

Majority of global energy is sourced from petrochemicals which comes with its attendant environmental challenges
Their analyses of the pulp nutritional value of A. cunninghamiana fruit revealed low levels of protein (7.83±1.13 mg/g of dry mass) in comparison with the concentrations of lipids and soluble sugars: 45.14±15.08 mg/g and 63.28±9.80 mg/g of dry mass respectively. They posited that A. cunninghamiana has phenological and reproductive traits that possibly enhance its ability to disperse into new habitats and to become an invader specie
Characterization of the oil obtained from A. cunninghamiana seed: Acid value and % Free Fatty Acid (FFA) (ASTM D664): In a conical flask containing 20 ml of isopropyl alcohol (IPA), 0.5 g of A. cunninghamiana seed oil was dissolved and 3 drops of phenolphthalein indicator added and stirred vigorously

Summary

Introduction

Majority of global energy is sourced from petrochemicals which comes with its attendant environmental challenges. This work reports the extraction of Archontopheonix cunninghamiana seed oil and the conversion of same to biodiesel. The infrared spectra of A. cunninghamiana seed oil and produced biodiesel were measured using a PerkinElmer® SpectrumTM Two FT-IR spectrometer.

Results

Conclusion