Abstract
Biodiesel from non-edible oil sources can be a promising solution to meet the ever-increasing fuel crisis and environmental degradation. Sterculia foetida is one of the less exploited biodiesel feedstocks with low free fatty acid (FFA) content. The present work focuses on the use of response surface methodology (RSM)-based optimisation of methyl ester production from S. foetida seeds through the trans-esterification process. Biodiesel process parameters viz., the concentration of catalyst, methanol ratio, reaction time and reaction temperature are examined maintaining a constant stir speed. This study reveals that an optimum methyl ester yield of 96.01 vol. % is obtained with a 26% methanol ratio (v/v) at a stir speed of 800 rpm, a reaction temperature of 63°C, 1.09% (w/w) of the catalyst and a reaction time of 135 min. The important physico-chemical properties of biodiesel and raw seed oil are evaluated and compared with ASTM-D6751 and EN-14214 specifications.
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