Abstract
Biodiesel production from transesterification of palm oil using a circulated continuous flow ultrasonic reactor was investigated. Transesterification was carried out at 60°C, 1atm and a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 9:1. The highest reaction rate was achieved at the catalyst loading of 2wt%, and biodiesel yield constantly increased until transesterification equilibrium (about 80%) was reached. A higher ultrasonic frequency (50kHz) promoted the heterogeneously catalyzed transesterification of refined palm oil, because the three-phase system (packed solid catalyst, methanol and oil) required more spatial distribution by ultrasonic irradiation. Moreover, the highest ultrasonic power also provided highest transesterification rate and biodiesel yield due to cavitation activity enhancement. Reusability of calcium oxide catalysts was also investigated, and results showed that this can be reused to provide high biodiesel yield for at least three operations with slight decrease in the rate of reaction due to counter balance effect of organic compounds deposition on the catalyst surface. The results from this study can be a basis for scaling up of the process to industrial scale.
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