Transesterification Of Karanja Oil Research Articles

Evaluating combustion, performance and emission characteristics of diesel engine using karanja oil methyl ester biodiesel blends enriched with HHO gas

With a specific end goal to take care of the worldwide demand for energy, a broad research is done to create alternative and cost effective fuel. The fundamental goal of this examination is to investigate the combustion, performance and emission characteristics of diesel engine using biodiesel blends enriched with HHO gas. The biodiesel blends are gotten by blending KOME obtained from transesterification of karanja oil in various proportions with neat diesel. The HHO gas is produced by the electrolysis of water in the presence of sodium bicarbonate electrolyte. The constant flow of HHO gas accompanied with biodiesel guarantees lessened brake specific fuel consumption by 2.41% at no load and 17.53% at full load with increased the brake thermal efficiency by 2.61% at no load and 21.67% at full load contrasted with neat diesel operation. Noteworthy decline in unburned hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, carbon-dioxide emissions and particulate matter with the exception of NOx discharge is encountered. The addition of EGR controls this hike in NOx with a slight decline in the performance characteristics. It is clear that the addition of HHO gas with biodiesel blends along with EGR in the test engine improved the overall characterization of engine.

Economically viable production of biodiesel from a rural feedstock from eastern India, P. pinnata oil using a recyclable laboratory synthesized heterogeneous catalyst

Barium zirconate was synthesized by co-precipitation method and its feasibility as a heterogeneous catalyst for production of biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester) was assessed. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) was synthesized through transesterification of karanja oil with methanol. Synthesized barium zirconate was characterized by Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Specific surface area and basicity of the catalyst were also deliberated. Catalyst characterization indicated formation of single phase of barium zirconate which was capable of catalyzing the transesterification of esterified karanja oil with methanol. Feedstock was characterized by Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS). Reaction conditions such as molar ratio (oil:methanol), catalyst concentration, temperature, time, stirring speed and catalyst reusability were optimized. Calcination temperature and time significantly affected the catalytic activity of the catalyst because of variation in availability of basic sites. FAME conversion of 98.79±0.5% was obtained at catalyst concentration of 1.0wt%, 1:27M ratio (oil:methanol), 65°C for a 3h contact time. The catalyst could be reused up to nine cycles and >65% fatty acid methyl ester conversion was sustained at ninth cycle. Glycerol obtained as a by-product was purified and analyzed by FTIR. Effect of catalyst on various feedstock at the same reaction conditions were studied. Physicochemical properties of karanja oil and respective methyl ester in comparison with petro diesel were also deliberated as per ASTM standards.

Influence of acid catalyst on two step transesterification of Karanja oil with high free fatty acids

Karanja oil methyl ester (KOME) was produced by the two step transesterification of oil with an alcohol in the presence of various acid catalysts and base catalysts. The best result was obtained with H2SO4 as acid catalyst and KOH as base catalyst; the yield was 97% at 60°C after 150 min. The high yield was observed due to the reduction of free fatty acids (FFA) % by using an acid catalyst in the first step of transesterification. HCl and H3PO4 was less active than H2SO4 during the process as it presented very low ester yields for the various molar ratios of fatty acid to alcohol studied. The fatty acid profile of the oil (palmitic acid: 11.64%; stearic acid: 7.70%; docosanoic acid: 4.46%; tetracosanoic acid: 1.08%; linolenic acid: 16.66%; oleic acid: 51.61%; eicosanoic acid: 1.33) and the different reactive actions of the acids were responsible for the observed differences in conversion to methyl esters. The result attained by this study might contribute to the economic utilization of a nonedible feedstock.

STUDIES OF TRANSESTERIFICATION OF KARANJA (Pongamia pinnata) OIL IN A PACKED BED REACTOR

Studies were made to determine the influence of different reaction temperatures and residence times on biodiesel yield by transesterification of karanja oil (Pongamia pinnata) in the presence of methanol using a solid acid heterogeneous catalyst in a continuous process. Recycle runs were conducted by further transesterification of the organic phases (first run mixture of methyl ester and unconverted oil) in the presence of methanol under similar conditions. High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) reveals poor biodiesel yield even with an increase in the reaction temperature and residence time in the first run. Biodiesel yield obtained from the recycle runs, however, was greatly increased over that of the first-run biodiesel yield. Recycle transesterification at a reaction temperature of 240°C and residence time of 50 min gives a maximum yield value of 97.74%. Consequently, irrespective of the presence of high free fatty acids and other impurities in karanja oil, recycling the organic phase of the first run significantly enhances the biodiesel yield.

Microwave-assisted batch and continuous transesterification of karanja oil: process variables optimization and effectiveness of irradiation

The technological advancement in biodiesel production has been the focus area for last the few years and microwave-assisted biodiesel synthesis is one such promising new technology. In the present investigation, microwave irradiation was used to produce biodiesel from non-edible Karanja (Pongamia pinnata) oil in batch and continuous mode. Experiments were conducted to understand the effect of volume of the reaction mixture, irradiation time, and irradiation power on the yield of biodiesel. To increase the effectiveness of the microwave irradiation, biodiesel was synthesized in a continuous tubular reactor at two different holdup volumes. The effect of process parameters viz., irradiation time, irradiation power, and methanol to oil ratio were optimized using Box–Behnken experimental design. The effectiveness of microwave irradiation for the different process conditions have been represented through an effectiveness factor. The results reinforce the advantages of continuous processes over batch processes for the production of biodiesel. The properties of biodiesel, namely ester content, density, viscosity, acid value, and cetane index were analyzed and found to be within the limits as prescribed in ASTM D6751-09 standards. The experimental results that have been obtained in this study would be very useful in the scale-up of the microwave-assisted biodiesel process.

Optimization of alkali-catalyzed transesterification of Pongamia pinnata oil for production of biodiesel

Studies were carried out on transesterification of Karanja oil with methanol for the production of biodiesel. The reaction parameters such as catalyst concentration, alcohol/oil molar ratio, temperature, and rate of mixing were optimized for production of Karanja oil methyl ester (KOME). The fatty acid methyl esters content in the reaction mixture were quantified by HPLC and 1H NMR method. The yield of methyl esters from Karanja oil under the optimal condition was 97–98%.