Synthesis of biodiesel from an unique potential oil reserve Delonix regia using a novel biocatalyst bamboo stem – A comparative study by RSM and ANN

Abstract

Establishing sustainable energy sources is now necessary due to the depletion of fossil fuels and the rising global need for energy. On the other side, burning fossil fuels releases dangerous pollutants into the atmosphere, such as particulates and oxides of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen. People all over the world are accepting a sustainable, renewable, and cost-effective source for the development of biofuels. Identification of a native reserve is a crucial part to hunt a suitable resource for biodiesel production due to its commercial transmission. Biodiesel is a prominent clean energy substitute due to its positive environmental concerns. In this work, a local potential source Delonix regia seeds are used for oil extraction and converted it into biodiesel directly due to its low free fatty acid content. A newly developed bio-nanocatalyst bamboo stem powder was facilitate as a catalyst and characterized by various spectroscopic techniques for efficient biodiesel conversion. Response surface methodology and Artificial Neural Network were employed to predict the optimized process parameters and maximum of around 97% biodiesel yield was achieved utilizing methanol/oil ratio - 0.25 v/v, catalyst dosage - 4 wt%, mixing speed - 950 rpm, reaction temperature - 65ºC and processing time - 95 min. Then, the biodiesel was characterized by gas chromatography to find the fatty acid combination and the properties were analysed for further processing in the automobiles. Moreover, the catalyst reusability was evaluated for economical biodiesel production was established effectively.