Feasibility of Continuous Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) Production from Hydrolyzed Sea Mango (Cerbera odollam) Oil at Room Temperature Using Cationic Ion Exchange Resin

Abstract

This research project demonstrated the feasibility of continuous fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) production from hydrolyzed sea mango (Cerbera odollam) oil at room temperature using cationic ion exchange resin, specifically Amberlyst 15. The experimental works of this research project were carried out in a fabricated glass tubular reactor. The effects of four variables; catalyst load (15 – 30 g), molar ratio of oil to methanol (1:6 – 1:12), feed flow rate (1.0 – 5.0 ml min−1), and moisture content (0 – 5%) against the FAME yield were studied. The effects of two other supporting variables; temperature and the reusability of the ion exchange resin, against the FAME yield were also investigated for comparison purposes. The experimental results showed that it is highly possible to convert the hydrolyzed sea mango oil into FAME at room temperature using Amberlyst 15. High FAME yields (>90%) were achievable with higher catalyst load (30 g), smaller molar ratio of oil to methanol (1:6) and optimal feed flow rate (1.0 ml min−1), and minimal (zero) moisture content. It is suggested that the high conversion of sea mango oil into FAME was due to the strong ion exchange (adsorption and desorption) between the reactant molecules and the sulfonic active sites to form more stable product (FAME) molecules that is independent of temperature. The free fatty acids (FFA) of the hydrolyzed sea mango oil disassociate into carboxylate ions (R-COO−) and hydrogen ions (H+) which enables it to exchange ions with the sulfonic active sites (strong proton donor) to produce FAME and water.