Fast Synthesis of High Quality Biodiesel from ‘Waste Fish Oil’ by Single Step Transesterification

Yogesh C Sharma,Zahira Yaakob,Bhaskar Singh,Devarapaga Madhu,Yun Liu

doi:10.18331/brj2015.1.3.3

Abstract

A large volume of fish wastes is produced on a daily basis in the Indian sub-continent. This abundant waste source could serve as an economic feedstock for bioenergy generation. In the present study, oil extracted from discarded fish parts was used for high quality biodiesel production. More specifically, a single step transesterification of ‘waste fishoil’ with methanol using sodium methoxide (CH3ONa) as homogeneous catalyst under moderate operational conditions resulted in highly pure biodiesel of > 98% of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content. Characterization was performed by Fourier Transform-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (FT-NMR).

Highlights

Biodiesel is globally known as a sustainable alternative fuel for petroleumbased diesel
A single step transesterification of ‘waste fish oil’ with methanol using sodium methoxide (CH3ONa) as homogeneous catalyst under moderate operational conditions resulted in highly pure biodiesel of > 98% of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content
Characterization was performed by Fourier Transform-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (FT-NMR)

Summary

Introduction

Biodiesel is globally known as a sustainable alternative fuel for petroleumbased diesel. There are some disadvantages such as comparatively higher emission of oxides of nitrogen, generally higher production cost and less oxidation stability than diesel (Sharma et al 2008). Yahyaee et al reported that biodiesel produced from waste fish oil has the potential to replace 5% of the total diesel fuel consumption in the transportation sector in Iran. This was in line with the report by Andersen and Weinbach (2010) who implied that biodiesel production from waste triglycerides obtained from poultry and fishing industry could play a significant role in the biodiesel industry worldwide. Fourier Transform-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (FT-NMR) was employed to investigate the quality of the fuel generated

Experimental

Results and discussion

Conclusions