Production of biodiesel from heat-treated edible oil

Abstract

Among the urgent needs of developing countries are renewable sources of energy and a pollution-free climate. Acid-catalyzed transesterification for production of biodiesel from heat-treated peanut oil was investigated, and the produced biodiesel was characterized. The change in oil properties during the heating process was studied. The results showed an increase in the saponification number with heating time (from 115.47 mg KOH/g for crude oil, to 156.19, 172.7 and 184.68 mg KOH/g after 30, 60 and 120 minutes of heating respectively), a slight decrease in the acid value was observed after heating (from 5.91 to 5.87, 5.87 and 5.88 mg KOH/g after 30, 60, and 120 minutes of heating respectively) There is no obvious change in the refractive index during heating. The peroxide value increased from 2.87 to 3.95 meq O2/kg as the heating time was increased up to 60 minutes. The characteristics of the produced biodiesel were compared to ASTM D 6751 biodiesel standards and ASTM D 975 fossil diesel standards to validate their acceptability as a fuel in diesel engines, and a good agreement was observed. In contrast, to international standards, we notice that ethanol-based fuel has properties that are similar to those of global fuels. Peanut oil can be used to make renewable, low-cost biofuels that can meet a significant portion of the world’s energy needs.