Abstract
ABSTRACT An energy-efficient intensification protocol for biodiesel (fatty acid ethyl ester (FAEE)) production from the mustard de-oiled cake (MDC) and sunflower de-oiled cake (SDC) through concurrent esterification-transesterification reactions has been disclosed employing near-infrared radiation retrofitted batch reactor. The triglycerides and free fatty acids of the de-oiled cake were converted to FAEE through a one-pot synthesis in the presence of ethanol and one of the co-solvents viz. acetone, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and n-hexane. The optimal condition (75:1 (w/w) ethanol to de-oiled cake ratio, 70°C infrared radiation temperature, 2.5 wt. % H2SO4 catalyst concentration, and 1000 rpm stirrer speed) for maximum FAEE yield was evaluated deploying Taguchi L9 orthogonal method. Higher FAEE yield was achieved under infrared radiation for both MDC (82.4 ± 0.01%) and SDC (81.7 ± 0.02%), in comparison with the conventionally heated reactor (MDC: 56.1 ± 0.02%; SDC: 54 ± 0.02%) employing identical process condition. This enlightened the energy-efficacy of the infrared radiation in accelerating the FAEE yield within a much shorter reaction time. The FAEE composition was assessed by FTIR and GC-MS analyses. The fuel properties of the product biodiesel conformed to EN standards. Thus, a feasible and efficient protocol for the conversion of de-oiled cakes to biodiesel could be explored.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call