Abstract
A systematic study of microwave-assisted transesterification of castor oil was conducted in the presence of ethanol and of potassium hydroxide as catalyst. Effects of various reaction parameters such as reaction time, catalyst concentration, reaction temperature and ethanol-oil molar ratio were analyzed. Ethyl esters were successfully produced by microwave-assisted transesterification. The maximum yield was 80.1% at 60°C, 10:1 alcohol: oil molar ratio, 1.5% potassium hydroxide and 10 min. The results show that there was a reduction in reaction time for microwave-assisted transesterification as compared to conventional heating, yields were slightly affected by temperature from 40-70oC; this indicates a significant effect of microwaves even at low temperatures.
Highlights
Due to the increasing energy demand and the environmental problems related with the use of fossil fuels, it has become necessary to develop alternative fuels
Best results were obtained at 65°C, 18:1 molar ratio of methanol to castor oil, 7.5 wt% of catalyst with respect to castor oil, 200W microwave radiation power and 120 min of reaction time, at these reaction conditions, they obtained yields of 74, 73, 90% using NaHSO4.H2O, AlCl3 and Na2CO3 respectively
We have conducted a study analyzing the effect of microwave irradiation on biodiesel production from castor oil using ethanol
Summary
Due to the increasing energy demand and the environmental problems related with the use of fossil fuels, it has become necessary to develop alternative fuels. Best results were obtained at 65°C, 18:1 molar ratio of methanol to castor oil, 7.5 wt% of catalyst with respect to castor oil, 200W microwave radiation power and 120 min of reaction time, at these reaction conditions, they obtained yields of 74, 73, 90% using NaHSO4.H2O, AlCl3 and Na2CO3 respectively. They found that microwave heating consumes less energy than conventional heating to achieve the same amount of FAME. We have conducted a study analyzing the effect of microwave irradiation on biodiesel production from castor oil using ethanol Variables such as reaction time, catalyst concentration, reaction temperature and ethanol-oil molar ratio were considered
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