Abstract
The molar ratio of methanol to rubber seed oil (RSO), catalyst loading, and the reaction time of RSO biodiesel production were optimized in this work. The response surface methodology, using the Box–Behnken design, was analyzed to determine the optimum fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield. The performance of various nanomagnetic CaO-based catalysts—KF/CaO-Fe3O4, KF/CaO-Fe3O4-Li (Li additives), and KF/CaO-Fe3O4-Al (Al additives)—were compared. Rubber seed biodiesel was produced via the transesterification process under subcritical methanol conditions with nanomagnetic catalysts. The experimental results indicated that the KF/CaO-Fe3O4-Al nanomagnetic catalyst produced the highest FAME yield of 86.79%. The optimum conditions were a 28:1 molar ratio of methanol to RSO, 1.5 wt % catalyst, and 49 min reaction time. Al additives of KF/CaO-Fe3O4 nanomagnetic catalyst enhanced FAME yield without Al up to 18.17% and shortened the reaction time by up to 11 min.
Highlights
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has reported that the global energy demand in 2020 would be 14,896 million tons of oil equivalent (Mtoe) and up to 18,048 Mtoe by 2035
The response surface results were analyzed based on fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield percentage to determine the optimum conditions for rubber seed biodiesel production using subcritical methanol with nanomagnetic catalysts
Where Y denotes the predicted FAME yield of rubber seed biodiesel production, and X1, X2, and X3 denote the molar ratio between methanol and rubber seed oil, KF/Calcined metal oxides (CaO)-Fe3 O4 -Al catalysts amount, and reaction time, respectively
Summary
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has reported that the global energy demand in 2020 would be 14,896 million tons of oil equivalent (Mtoe) and up to 18,048 Mtoe by 2035. CaO-based catalysts are widely used for biodiesel production due to their high efficiency in FAME enhancement, low cost, and availability [17,18]. The presence of Al additives in the form of sodium meta-aluminate improved transesterification in biodiesel production. The Box-Behnken experimental design, the most widely used for response surface methodology [37,38], was used to study the effect of each individual variable, such as molar ratio between methanol and RSO, catalyst amount, and reaction time. The response surface results were analyzed based on FAME yield percentage to determine the optimum conditions for rubber seed biodiesel production using subcritical methanol with nanomagnetic catalysts
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