Production and Characterization of Biodiesel from Hevea Brasiliensis and Diesel like Fuel from Waste Engine Oil

Abstract

In today’s application, it is essential to formulate the use of diesel and biodiesel in an environmentally generous manner. In this experimental study, an attempt was made to increase the performance and reduce the exhaust emission by blending biodiesel with diesel extracted from waste engine oil on their performance and emission characteristics. The bio-oil is extracted from the seeds of Hevea Brasiliensis using soxhlet extraction process. The crude bio-oil was converted into biodiesel using transesterification process. The percentage yield obtained was high, in the case of heterogeneous base catalyst CaO compared with homogenous base catalyst. Further, the trans-esterification reaction was optimized using the following condition reaction like temperature at 60°C, reaction time ∼1.5 h, molar ratio 9:1 (oil: methanol) and 3% catalyst (w/w). The waste engine oil was distilled using fractional distillation process to produce fuels which is used in engines using inert silica granules. The bio-oil, bio-diesel and diesel samples were characterized using FT-IR and GC-MS spectroscopic techniques. Based on the spectral data, fatty acids, fatty acid methyl ester and hydrocarbon derivatives were identified. Similarly, physical properties were analysed for the produced fuel and biodiesel such as density, viscosity, flash and fire point and calorific value and the results are comparable with ASTM standards. Based on the fuel properties, biodiesel and diesel like fuel obtained from waste engine oil will be used in future to study their engine characteristics.