Abstract
This research work studied the effect of H 2 PO 4 catalyst on biodiesel production from castor seed oil. The Castor seed oil was mix with methanol and H 2 PO 4 catalysts to undergo a tranesterification reaction. The characterization of the castor seed oil was done using American Society Testing Methods (ASTDM). The transesterification reaction was repeated with varying catalyst weight, oil to methanol ration, reaction time and reaction temperature. The biodiesel produced was characterized and compared with fossil Diesel fuel. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyze the various biodiesel samples produced to identify the level of conversion to methyl ester and also identify the component mixture of the fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). Kinetics study revealed by the experimental data from the transeterification reactions, showed best conformity to a pseudo second-order kinetic model. Central Composite Design (CCD) was used to optimize the reaction process. Optimal value of the reaction shows a conversion of 62.60%. H 2 PO 4 catalyst was found to be an effective transesterification catalyst.
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