Source Of Oil For Biodiesel Production Research Articles

Chemical and Enzymatic transesterification of rubber seed oil – A comparative study

Biodiesel produced from a wide variety of vegetable oils is expected to replace diesel fuel. Conventional diesel engines are the major sources of expelling the particulate matter, soot, smoke and oxides of nitrogen to the environment which are harmful. Biodiesel is an attractive alternative fuel to replace petroleum derived diesel because it is environment friendly and can be produced from edible or non-edible vegetable oils. The conflict between food and fuel led to the identification of more than fifty non-edible oil sources for biodiesel production. Utilization of locally available non-edible oil sources for production of biodiesel reduces the cost of fuel and increases production interest. Rubber seed oil is a non-edible type vegetable oil, identified as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production. This paper comprises the synthesis of biodiesel from high free fatty acid rubber seed oil through transesterification by chemical and enzymatic methods. The transesterification of rubber seed oil with chemical catalyst and enzyme catalyst were investigated in the work. The variables affecting the reaction such as molar ratio, catalyst concentration, time and temperature were analysed. Kinetic study was carried out to find the reaction constants and activation energy of both chemical and enzymatic transesterification reactions. The properties of fuel such as kinematic viscosity, calorific value and specific gravity were found out and compared with the properties of diesel. Base catalyst concentration was varied from 0.5wt% to 2wt% for alkaline transesterification process and the result revealed that maximum yield of 90% was obtained with a base catalyst concentration of 1.5wt% with 1:9 molar ratio at 55± 3°C. The best condition arise in enzymatic reaction was 10wt% enzyme and 1:4 methanol ratio with 5wt% addition of water as the solvent.

Physicochemical Characterization of Jatropha podagrica Seed Oil for Potential Biodiesel Production and other Industrial Applications in Thailand

Jatropha is considered as one of the most promising potential oil sources for biodiesel production and other industrial applications. However, research on the potential of Jatropha seed oil is mainly focused on Jatropha curcas, with other species receiving little attention. The physicochemical properties of J. podagrica seed oil was studied to determine its potential as feedstock for biodiesel production and other industrial applications in Thailand. The seed oil was extracted with n-hexane from milled kernels using the soxhlet extractor and subsequently characterised for free fatty acids, iodine value, viscosity, saponification value, density, and acid value. The fatty acid profile of the seed oil was also analysed using gas chromatography (GC). Analysis of the physical properties of the J. podagrica seed kernel showed lower average physical characteristics when compared to those of J. curcas seed kernel. J. podagrica seeds had high oil content comparable to J. curcas oil content. The main fatty acid components of the seed oil were oleic acid (15%) and linoleic acid (70%). Generally, the results of the physicochemical analysis indicated that J. podagrica seed oil would be very useful for the production of soap and shampoo in Thailand. To produce biodiesel from the seed oil, a two-step acid-catalysed transesterification process would be appropriate.

Evaluation of Potential Biodiesel Feedstocks: Camelina, Turnip Rape, Oil Radish and Tyfon

Background: One of the most promising alternative biofuels, competitive with regular petrol, diesel or jet fuel is biodiesel, especially derived from plant oils. Until now, various technological approaches, as well as oil sources, have been proposed for biodiesel production, but an industrially scalable technology with high end-product quality and production efficiency has not been developed and brought to the market yet. Biodiesel is produced in Europe and North America mainly from rapeseed, or canola, sunflower and soybean oil. However, other underutilized plant species could also be considered as potential oil feedstocks for biodiesel. The great perspective holds Brassicaceae family, especially such species as false flax (Camelina sativa) and Ethiopian mustard (Brassica carinata), but many other Brassicaceae crops are still out of sight. Objectives: This research has been conducted aiming to identify and compare the productivity of several Brassicaceae crops (camelina or false flax (C. sativa), turnip rape (B. campestris), oil radish (Raphanus sativus var. oleifera) and tyfon (B. rapa ssp. oleifera f. biennis × (ssp. rapifera × ssp. pekinensis)), that are suitable for biodiesel production under conditions of temperate climate regions (Northern America, Europe); and to obtain biodiesel by transesterification of fatty acids present on these species using bioethanol. Methods and Materials: Seed oil content, yield and fatty acid profiles have been studied and analysed in different genotypes of C. sativa (10), winter (6) and spring (4) B. campestris, R. sativus var. oleifera (8) and tyfon (5). The most productive crops have been identified: false flax variety ‘Evro-12’ (1620 kg of oil per hectare) and ‘Peremoha’ (1657 kg/ha); winter turnip rape variety ‘Oriana’ (1373 kg/ha), oil radish variety ‘Kyianochka’ (1445 kg/ha) and tyfon varieties ‘Fitopal’ (1730 kg/ha) and ‘Obriy’ (1860 kg/ha). According to chromatographic analysis results, oils of winter turnip rape and tyfon contain high levels (38-42,8%) of erucic (22:1) acid, while oils from spring turnip rape, false flax and oil radish possess high amounts of short-chained fatty acids (not longer than C18) – up to 85,37% in camelina breeding line FEORZhYaFD. Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) were produced from oil of best genotypes and proved to comply with all main quality requirements for diesel. Results: Moreover, a new solvent-based technology of high-yield (up to 96%) FAEE production, has been firstly proposed for C. sativa oil conversion. Conclusion: Best genotypes that can be used as a plant oil source for biodiesel production have been identified for camelina, turnip rape, oil radish and tyfon species. The data obtained on seed oil content, yield and fatty acid profiles suggested that they are: false flax – breeding form FEORZhYaFD; winter turnip rape - variety ‘Oriana’; oil radish - variety ‘Rayduha’ and tyfon hybrid - variety ‘Fitopal’. Biodiesel samples obtained from these plants fit the Ukrainian standards for diesel fuel and can be used in car engines. The proposed new technological approach to produce fatty acid ethyl esters allows to reduce reaction time and to increase esters yield and quality.

Use of Microalgae for Simultaneous Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Biodiesel Production

Phenolic compounds, which are present in considerable amounts in industrial wastewater, are toxic, even at low concentrations. Most bacteria used in conventional treatment methods for the removal of phenolics are pathogenic, and their biomass does not have an evident commercial value. We evaluated the usability of microalgae for the removal of phenolic compounds from simulated wastewater and as a sustainable oil source for biodiesel production with the aim to render microalgae cultivation more economically attractive. Freshwater and marine microalgae species, Chlorella sp. and Tetraselmis sp., were used to remove phenol, 4-nitrophenol, and 2,4-dinitrophenol, which are commonly found in refinery wastewater. The effect of initial phenolics concentrations on biomass growth and phenolics removal was evaluated and kinetics models were developed to describe the systems. Freshwater Chlorella sp. was grown in a pilot-scale open pond with optimum phenolics concentrations, and oil extracted from the harvested biomass was used to produce biodiesel using an in-house heterogeneous alkaline catalyst. The effects of catalyst amount, methanol:oil molar ratio, and reaction temperature on biodiesel production were determined after 4 h of reaction. The experimental data were used to determine the kinetics parameters of the reaction, and to develop a second-order interactive model that was used to determine the significance of the above parameters and to optimize the process. The optimum conditions were found to be a catalyst wt% of 7.7, methanol:oil molar ratio of 12, and temperature of 45 °C, at which the biodiesel after 4 h was 30.4%.

Extraction of Calophyllum oil as biodiesel raw material using a binary solvent

The utilization of renewable raw material, low-cost feedstock, and efficient energy are the main parameters in sustainable biodiesel production. Calophyllum seeds are potential as a vegetable oil source for biodiesel production due to their high oil content and productivity. Calophyllum oil extraction is usually conducted by the mechanical press, but the yield and quality of oil produced by this method are very low. Calophyllum oil extraction using a binary solvent (a mixture of n-hexane and alcohol) was thus investigated to meet the aspects of sustainability and to solve the problem of mechanical extraction. The influence of extraction condition was examined to determine optimal oil yield and quality. The mixture of n-hexane and alcohol effectively extracts oil from Calophyllum seeds and simultaneously purified it from resin. The n-Hexane-to-alcohol ratio had a significant effect on oil recovery and its quality. The augmentation of the n-hexane-to-alcohol ratio from 1:1 to 2.5:1 increased oil yield. Acid value and density of oil improved as the n-hexane-to-alcohol ratio declined from 2.5:1 to 1:1. The n-Hexane-to-alcohol ratio of 2.5:1 has provided the best yield (88.0%) of oil extract at 40°C for 5 h. The oil present its best quality at 0.893 g/cm3 of density, 41.0 mPa.s of viscosity, 8.8 mg KOH/g of acid value, 88.3 g/100 g of iodine value, < 1% of moisture content and < 0.04% of ash content.

Optimization of fuel properties of cottonseed biodiesel and its impact on engine performance and emission

Rising level of pollution and extreme rate of depletion of fossil fuels has become a major issue in today’s world which requires immediate measures for its prevention. Biodiesel is the potential answer to this threat to environment as being an extremely promising fuel given its adaptability of usage in currently existing engine modules. Out of various oil sources for biodiesel production (Jatropha, Pongamia, Neem, Mahua) Cotton seed oil is one of the prominent source for biodiesel production in India. The aim of this study to enhance the fuel quality of cotton seed biodiesel so that it can be used as an alternative fuel. Viscosity is an important indicator of progression of oxidation in biodiesel to be used in an engine. Viscosity and flash point of biodiesel is optimized with the help of anti-oxidant (pyrogallol) and by governing the adverse effects of oxidizing agent as metal contaminants of aluminium. The experimental investigation reveals that Cotton seed biodiesel (CB20) with metal contamination there is decrease of 21.03% in brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and without metal contaminants there is decline of 11% was found as compared to diesel while brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), was increased by 25.84% for CB20 with metal contaminants and for CB20 (without metal contaminants) there is increase in 10.73% as compared to diesel. There was a significant reduction in exhaust emissions including carbon monoxide (CO) and (CO2) as for CB20 value reduction for CO2 was 41.35% and 38.27% for samples with and without metal contaminants. However, a 15.84% and 11.2% increase in oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emission was experienced for biodiesel mixtures for CB20 with and without metal contaminants respectively as compared to diesel.

Tabebuia rosea: a prospective non-edible biodiesel feedstock

The need to seek non-conventional seed oil sources for biodiesel production is significant due to issues including limited supply, increasing demand and availability as well as food versus fuel. In this context, Tabebuia rosea seed oil was investigated for the first time, as a potential non-conventional feedstock for preparation of biodiesel, as it is suitable for production in a variety of atmospheric conditions, easy to cultivate, and has a high fruit production rate and low cost of cultivation. Tabebuia rosea seeds were collected and processed and oil was extracted by Soxhlet extraction. The important physical and chemical properties of the extracted seed oil were experimentally analysed. The crude oil was transesterified under standard conditions with sodium methoxide as catalyst, to produce Tabebuia rosea oil methyl ester (TOME). The quality of TOME/biodiesel produced was assessed in terms of physico-chemical parameters such as kinematic viscosity, flash point, ash content, acid value, calorific value and sulphur content, which are the most important properties of a fuel for application in engines. Analysis revealed the tested parameters were comparable with American Society for Testing (ASTM) D6751 and Indian Standards (IS) 15607 standard specifications for biodiesel samples. It was concluded that T. rosea seed oil is a satisfactory feedstock for biodiesel production.

Biocatalytic esterification of fatty acids using a low-cost fermented solid from solid-state fermentation with Yarrowia lipolytica.

This study aimed to evaluate the use of a lyophilized fermented solid (named solid enzymatic preparation, SEP), with lipase activity, as a low-cost biocatalyst for esterification reactions of fatty acids present in acid raw materials for biodiesel synthesis. The SEP was obtained by solid-state fermentation (SSF) of soybean bran using the strain of Yarrowia lipolytica IMUFRJ 50682 and contains the lipases secreted by this yeast. The esterification reaction of ethanol and the predominant fatty acids present in different acid oil sources for biodiesel production (oleic, linoleic, stearic and palmitic acids) was investigated. Oleic acid conversion of above 85% was obtained after 24h, using 30 wt% of SEP and ethanol/oleic acid molar ratio of 1, at 30°C, in a reaction medium with and without solvent (n-hexane). Similar results were achieved with stearic (79%), palmitic (82%) and linoleic (90%) acids. The reusability of SEP was investigated over ten successive batches by washing it with different solvents (ethanol, water or n-hexane) between the cycles of ethyl oleate synthesis. Washing with water allowed the SEP to be reused for six cycles maintaining over 80% of the conversion reached in the first cycle. These results show the potential of this biocatalyst to reduce the content of free fatty acids in acid oils for biodiesel synthesis with a potential to be applied in a broad plethora of raw materials.

Fusarium verticillioides as a single-cell oil source for biodiesel production and dietary supplements

Abstract A newly isolated oleaginous fungus called E4-2 and identified as Fusarium verticillioides was selected as a potential source of lipid production using glucose as carbon source and a mixture of ammonium chloride and yeast extract as nitrogen sources. A maximum lipid accumulation of 1.88 g/L and a lipid cell content of 38% were obtained at optimal pH and temperature equal to 5 and 30 °C, respectively. Moreover, the E4-2 strain can grow on a variety of low-cost agro-waste carbon sources. Interestingly, waste cooking oils (1.67 g/L) and soap stock of refined olive oil pomace (1.25 g/L) were optimal for a maximum lipid accumulation. Gas chromatography analysis of the extracted lipids revealed that, similar to some vegetal oils, the prominent fatty acid (FA) constituents were C18:1 (34.65%), C18:2 or ω6 (30.78%) and C16:0 (25.61%) with a high ω6 content. More interestingly, the ω3 content rose from 0.86 to 1.71 when culture temperature was set from 30 to 25 °C. The predictive determination of biodiesel properties from fatty acids profile suggests that E4-2 lipids may favorably be used for biodiesel production. All these characteristics argue in favor of the great biotechnological potential of the lipids produced by our strain.

Artificial neural network–genetic algorithm-based optimization of biodiesel production from Simarouba glauca

ABSTRACTA transesterification reaction was carried out employing an oil of paradise kernel (Simarouba glauca), a non-edible source for producing Simarouba glauca methyl ester (SGME) or biodiesel. In this study, the effects of three variables – reaction temperature, oil-to-alcohol ratio and reaction time – were studied and optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) and an artificial neural network (ANN) on the free fatty acid (FFA) level. Formation of methyl esters due to a reduction in FFA was observed in gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC–MS) analysis. It was inferred that optimum conditions such as an oil-to-alcohol ratio of 1:6.22, temperature of 67.25 and duration of 20 h produce a better yield of biodiesel with FFA of 0.765 ± 0.92%. The fuel properties of paradise oil meet the requirements for biodiesel, by Indian standards. The results indicate that the model is in substantial agreement with current research, and simarouba oil can be considered a potential oil source for biodiesel production.

Optimization and kinetic study of ultrasonic assisted esterification process from rubber seed oil

Recently, rubber seed oil (RSO) has been considered as a promising potential oil source for biodiesel production. However, RSO is a non-edible feedstock with a significant high free fatty acid (FFA) content which has an adverse impact on the process of biodiesel production. In this study, ultrasonic-assisted esterification process was conducted as a pre-treatment step to reduce the high FFA content of RSO from 40.14% to 0.75%. Response surface methodology (RSM) using central composite design (CCD) was applied to the design of experiments (DOE) and the optimization of esterification process. The result showed that methanol to oil molar ratio was the most influential factor for FFA reduction whereas the effect of amount of catalyst and the reaction were both insignificant. The kinetic study revealed that the activation energy and the frequency factor of the process are 52.577kJ/mol and 3.53×108min−1, respectively.

Evaluating the Potential of Biodiesel Production through Microalgae Farming in Photobioreactor and High Rate Ponds from Wastewater Treatment

In the last decade, the research works on microbial as a potential source of lipid for biodiesel production have been growing. In this work, the potential of a sludge from high-rate lagoons in urban sewage treatment, composed mainly by Chlorella sp., as oil source for biodiesel production, was studied. The potential of Chlorella sp. growth in photobioreactor under controlled conditions was also investigated. Low lipid content (up to 3%) was observed in both cases. The composition of both oils showed high amount of fatty acids and fatty acid based compounds, however there are also other non-fatty acid based lipids. Density and viscosity of biodiesel from biosolid oil were determined and the results showed that these physico-chemical properties do not match the specification required for biodiesel. The results showed that sewage sludge from Samambaia treatment station (DF, Brazil) and Chlorella sp. cultivated under the conditions described in this work are not potential sources of fatty material for biodiesel production.

Carbon accumulation in Rhodotorula glutinis induced by nitrogen limitation.

BackgroundOleaginous microorganisms, such as bacterium, yeast and algal species, can represent an alternative oil source for biodiesel production. The composition of their accumulated lipid is similar to the lipid of an oleaginous plant with a predominance of unsaturated fatty acid. Moreover this alternative to conventional biodiesel production does not create competition for land use between food and oleo-chemical industry supplies. Despite this promising potential, development of microbial production processes are at an early stage. Nutritional limited conditions, such as nitrogen limitation, with an excess of carbon substrate is commonly used to induce lipid accumulation metabolism. Nitrogen limitation implies modification of the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio in culture medium, which impacts on carbon flow distribution in the metabolic network.ResultsThe goal of the present study is to improve our knowledge of carbon flow distribution in oleaginous yeast metabolism by focusing carbon distribution between carbohydrate and lipid pools in order to optimize microbial lipid production. The dynamic effects of limiting nitrogen consumption flux according to carbon flow were studied to trigger lipid accumulation in the oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula glutinis. With a decrease of the specific nitrogen consumption rate from 0.052 Nmol.CmolX−1.h−1 to 0.003 Nmol.CmolX−1.h−1, a short and transitory intracellular carbohydrate accumulation occurred before the lipid accumulation phase. This phenomenon was studied in fed-batch culture under optimal operating conditions, with a mineral medium and using glucose as carbon source. Two different strategies of decreasing nitrogen flow on carbohydrate accumulation were investigated: an instantaneous decrease and a progressive decrease of nitrogen flow.ConclusionsLipid production performance in these fed-batch culture strategies with R. glutinis were higher than those reported in the previous literature; the catalytic specific lipid production rate was 0.07 Cmollip.CmolX*−1.h−1. Experimental results suggested that carbohydrate accumulation was an intrinsic phenomenon connected to the limitation of growth by nitrogen when the nitrogen-to-carbon ratio in the feed flow was lower than 0.045 Nmol.Cmol−1. Carbohydrate accumulation corresponded to a 440% increase of carbohydrate content. These results suggest that microbial lipid production can be optimized by culture strategy and that carbohydrate accumulation must be taken account for process design.

Cotton Seed Oil: A Feasible Oil Source for Biodiesel Production

Cottonseed oil was transesterified to convert into biodiesel. The optimum catalyst concentration, amount of methanol used per liter of oil, time taken by the reaction, and temperature were found. This cottonseed oil-derived biodiesel was tested in a direct injection, naturally aspirated, single-cylinder diesel engine. The diesel engine was operated from no load to full load condition. Effect of this biodiesel on engine parameters, namely, fuel consumption, electrical efficiency, lower heating value, and engine speed, was examined. Also, the physical and chemical properties, including specific gravity, moisture content, refractive index, acid value, iodine number, saponification value, and peroxide value of the methyl esters used in this study, were estimated. Based on electrical efficiency, the methyl esters obtained from cottonseed oil were found to be a good alternate fuel in internal combustion engines with electrical generators.

Microalgae harvesting and subsequent biodiesel conversion

Chlorella vulgaris ESP-31 containing 22.7% lipid was harvested by coagulation (using chitosan and polyaluminium chloride (PACl) as the coagulants) and centrifugation. The harvested ESP-31 was directly employed as the oil source for biodiesel production via transesterification catalyzed by immobilized Burkholderia lipase and by a synthesized solid catalyst (SrO/SiO2). Both enzymatic and chemical transesterification were significantly inhibited in the presence of PACl, while the immobilized lipase worked well with wet chitosan-coagulated ESP-31, giving a high biodiesel conversion of 97.6% w/w oil, which is at a level comparable to that of biodiesel conversion from centrifugation-harvested microalgae (97.1% w/w oil). The immobilized lipase can be repeatedly used for three cycles without significant loss of its activity. The solid catalyst SrO/SiO2 worked well with water-removed centrifuged ESP-31 with a biodiesel conversion of 80% w/w oil, but the conversion became lower (55.7-61.4% w/w oil) when using water-removed chitosan-coagulated ESP-31 as the oil source.

Production and Physico-Chemical Characterisation of Kusum Oil Methyl Ester as an Alternative Fuel in Diesel Engine

The growing awareness regarding long-term availability of mineral diesel and its environmental consequences, the fluctuating nature of international crude oil prices, the vulnerability of energy security towards oil-based geopolitics, etc., have mandated the search for alternative fuel sources for diesel engines. In this context, biodiesel derived from a variety of feedstocks, like vegetable oils and animal fat, by transesterification has been considered as a promising solution to the crippling energy- and environment-related crises slowly engulfing India. Most of the vegetable oils used for biodiesel production in the developed countries are edible in nature. However, in India, edible oil-based biodiesel is a distant dream due to the lack of self-sufficiency of the country in edible oil production. Therefore, non-edible vegetable oil-producing plants growing in barren lands are a good source of biodiesel in the Indian scenario. Hence, there is an urgent need to explore the potential non-edible oil sources for biodiesel production that can supplement the Government of India's biofuel policy and may help to realise the vision of 20% biodiesel blending by 2017. The present research work deals with the production of biodiesel and a comprehensive physico-chemical characterisation of a relatively underutilised non-edible vegetable oil species known as Kusum oil (Schleichera oleosa), which has a near omnipresence throughout the subcontinent with special penetration in the remote and tribal locations. In the present study, kusum oil methyl ester (KOME) was produced using a two-stage esterification cum transesterification process on account of the high free fatty acid (FFA) contents of the oil. In the esterification stage, 0.85% by mass of catalyst (p-Toluenesulfonic acid), at 60°C temperature with constant agitation at 450 rpm led to less than 2% FFA in 45 min. Similarly, the transesterification stage led to 97.2% ester yield using 1.4% by mass of catalyst (potassium hydroxide), at 65°C temperature in 100 min under constant agitation at 450 rpm. Various physico-chemical properties of KOME, like density, viscosity, heating value, etc., were measured and found to be satisfactorily compliant with the corresponding ASTM/EN standards. The fatty acid profile suggested that KOME possessed 40% unsaturated fatty acids and around 53% saturated fatty acids. The results of oxidation stability indicated no substantial peroxide formations for 6 h in the biodiesel rancimat, thus conforming to the EN standard. The cold flow plugging point of KOME was -1°C, as compared with -9°C indicated by the neat diesel. In the light of the above study, it may be concluded that kusum oil is a promising feedstock for biodiesel production and efforts need to be made to exploit the same for commercial-scale usage.

Tocochromanol content and composition in Jatropha curcas seeds

Physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.) is a promising seed oil source for biodiesel production. Natural antioxidants play a major role in maintaining oxidative stability of oils and they also have important food and industrial applications. Among them, tocochromanols are the most abundant in seeds. The objective of this research was to evaluate the variation for tocochromanol content and profile in a germplasm collection of 52 accessions of J. curcas. Seeds collected in two different periods, August and November of 2009, were analysed for tocochromanol content. Additionally, the dynamics of tocochromanol accumulation in developing seeds was studied. Total seed tocochromanol content averaged 307.2mgkg−1 in August and 303.7mgkg−1 in November, whereas total oil tocochromanol content averaged 507.4mgkg−1 in August and 500.8mgkg−1 in November. The tocochromanol fraction was made up of 15.4% gamma-tocopherol, 83.8% gamma-tocotrienol, and 0.8% delta-tocotrienol in August and 18.0% gamma-tocopherol, 80.4% gamma-tocotrienol, and 1.6% delta-tocotrienol in November. Genotype×environment effects were identified for tocochromanol content but not for the proportion of major tocochromanol homologues, which showed a high positive correlation between both environments. Developing seeds contained primarily alpha-tocopherol and gamma-tocopherol at early stages of development, with gamma-tocotrienol and delta-tocotrienol being practically undetectable. Gamma-tocotrienol content remained practically undetectable till 66 DAP and then increased pronouncedly to final levels of 177.1mgkg−1 (74.8% of the total tocochromanol content). The powerful antioxidant and health-promoting properties of gamma-tocotrienol encourages further studies on selection for the tocopherol/tocotrienol ratio in Jatropha and on the potential of tocochromanols as high added-value products derived from Jatropha seed oil production.

Biodiesel from Milo (Thespesia populnea L.) seed oil

Abstract There is a need to seek non-conventional seed oil sources for biodiesel production due to issues such as supply and availability as well as food versus fuel. In this context, Milo (Thespesia populnea L.) seed oil was investigated for the first time as a potential non-conventional feedstock for preparation of biodiesel. This is also the first report of a biodiesel fuel produced from a feedstock containing cyclic fatty acids as T. populnea contains 8,9-methylene-8-heptadecenoic (malvalic) and smaller amounts of two cyclopropane fatty acids besides greater amounts of linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids. The crude oil extracted from T. populnea seed was transesterified under standard conditions with sodium methoxide as catalyst. Biodiesel derived from T. populnea seed oil exhibited fuel properties of density 880 kg m−3, kinematic viscosity 4.25 mm2/s; cetane number 59.8; flash point 176 °C; cloud point 9 °C; pour point 8 °C; cold filter plugging point 9 °C; sulfur content 11 mg kg−1; water content 150 mg kg−1; ash content 15 mg kg−1; and acid value as KOH 250 mg kg−1. The oxidative stability of 2.91 h would require the use of antioxidants to meet specifications in standards. Generally, most results compared well with ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 specifications.

Microwave assisted transesterification of rapeseed oil

Rapeseed is one of the important vegetable oil sources for biodiesel production due to its high oil content (around 40%). In this study rapeseed oil was converted to biodiesel by transesterification using microwave heating. Experiments were carried out in the presence of two different alkali catalysts which are sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. Effects of various reaction parameters such as catalyst ratio, reaction temperature and time were investigated. Mono-, di- and triglyceride content of biodiesel were determined by gas chromatography analysis. Yield and purity (ester content) percentages of biodiesel were specified in weight, which are 88.3–93.7% and 87.1–99.4%, respectively. The results indicated that microwave heating has effectively increased the biodiesel yield and decreased the reaction time.

The Brazilian experience with biofuels

AbstractBrazil leads the world in ethanol production and ethanol use for fuel and the government has decided recently to implement a programme to blend biodiesel with diesel. In 2004, the government created the National Program for Production and Use of Biodiesel to reduce Brazil's dependence on imported diesel and to supply a fuel that has low environmental impact. The Program allows the use of 17 other oil sources for biodiesel production. This article describes the background to biodiesel and bioethanol production and use, details the Brazilian alcohol and biodiesel programmes, and examines the prospects for these biofuels and their potential effects on agriculture and oilseed crops.