Abstract
Biodiesel is one of renewable energy alternatives, as a substitution of diesel engine fuel or diesel oil. Indonesian palm oil contains the fatty acids needed for the synthesis of FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) as the basic ingredient of biodiesel. Conventional biodiesel synthesis methods, which generally use transesterification reactions with homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts, have significant constraints due to the formation of relatively large quantities of glycerol compounds as well as requiring complex separation processes and considerable energy. The DBD (Dielectric Barrier Dicharge) plasma reactor can be a solution to overcome the above shortcomings. The purpose of this research is to perform performance test from design result of DBD plasma reactor especially biodiesel making process. The analytical methods for FAME products use GC-FAME and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infra Red) for chemical conversion related between triglyceride reactants and biodiesel products. The best operating conditions obtained from the hydrodynamic test showed a mixed flowrate of triglyceride/alcohol of 0.1318 L/min, gas flowrate (plasma carrier) of 2.5 L/min and a voltage of 220 Volts alternating current. Biodiesel is produced using palm oil and methanol as a liquid reactant and using argon as a plasma carrier gas in the reactor. Plasma is produced in DBD reactor using 1-phase PLN power, with a voltage of 220 VAC. The main advantage of the conversion process in this plasma reactor is the production of FAME without the formation of significant glycerin byproducts and the use of homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysts.
Highlights
These new and renewable new energy policies around the world, primarily based on environmental issues and the reduction of fossil fuel sources, have prompted the industrial world to cautiously use alternative fuels such as biodiesel
The major problem of using homogeneous catalyst is that saponification reactions due to the reaction of OH groups on the catalyst with oil containing high levels of FFA (Free Fatty Acid) which can reduce the conversion of reaction and be complicated in separation process and non-regenerating catalyst processes [1]
The Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma reactor used in the form of tube consists a quartz glass cylinder (300x110 mm) surrounded by a spiral coil made of stainless steel (SS316) with length of 250 mm, which served as an outer eletrode and the reactor length use in this study is 270 mm
Summary
These new and renewable new energy policies around the world, primarily based on environmental issues and the reduction of fossil fuel sources, have prompted the industrial world to cautiously use alternative fuels such as biodiesel. Biodiesel has been selected as an alternative fuel because of the abundance of raw materials to make biodiesel available in Indonesia. Palm oil contains satturated fatty acid needed to make diesel fuel as the raw material. Production of biodiesel from vegetable oil with homogeneous and heterogeneous catalys have been proven in industry scale. The major problem of using homogeneous catalyst is that saponification reactions due to the reaction of OH groups on the catalyst with oil containing high levels of FFA (Free Fatty Acid) which can reduce the conversion of reaction and be complicated in separation process and non-regenerating catalyst processes [1]. The acid catalyst requires a high alcohol-to-oil molar ratios and catalyst concetration to achieve satisfactory transesterification conversion [2]
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