Production Process Optimization study on the synthesis of Manilkara zapota seed bio-oil and its characterization

Abstract

In this study, Manilkara zapota seed oil was used for biodiesel production. The free fatty acid content of the oil was determined as 5.91 mg KOH/g and hence a two-step acid-base transesterification reaction was followed to convert M. zapota seed oil into biodiesel. The performance variables such as reaction temperature, alcohol to oil ratio, experimental duration, and catalyst weight were optimized using Taguchi orthogonal array. The study revealed a 40°C reaction temperature, 6:1 alcohol-to-oil ratio, 150 min experimental duration, and 1 wt.% NaOH catalyst that were optimal performance variables to obtain maximum conversion efficiency of 97.08%. Among the four performance variables, the alcohol-to-oil ratio was found to be the most effective variable with 84.36% of the contribution. The synthesized Manilkara zapota methyl ester (MZME) procured from seed oil with optimized performance variables matches with the standards of ASME D 6751.