-
PRODUCTION OF BIODIESEL BY TRANSESTERIFICATION OF DIFFERENT
PLANT OILS
PROJECT REPORT
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the
award of the degree of
Bachelor Of Technology
In Biotechnology
By
G. SINDHU (07241A2320)
M. SWETHA (07241A2324)
DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute Of Engineering And Technology
(Affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University)
Hyderabad
2011
-
DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute Of Engineering And Technology
(Affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University)
Hyderabad
CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the project entitled
PRODUCTION OF BIODIESEL BY TRANSESTERIFICATION OF DIFFERENT
PLANT OILS
has been submitted by
G. SINDHU (07241A2320) M. SWETHA (07241A2324)
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of
degree of Bachelor
of Technology in Biotechnology from Jawaharlal Nehru
Technological University, Hyderabad.
The results embodied in this project have not been submitted to
any other University or Institution for the award of any degree or
diploma.
Internal Supervisor Head of Department Ramesh Dr. D. Sailaja
Asst Professor Professor & HOD Dept of Biotechnology Dept of
Biotechnology
-
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Ms G. SINDHU, Ms M. SWETHA, students of
final year Biotechnology of Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute Of
Engineering And Technology, affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru
technological university have completed a project work entitled
PRODUCTION OF BIODIESEL BY TRANSESTERIFICATION OF DIFFERENT PLANT
OILS at our biotechnology division of laboratory Gokaraju Rangaraju
Institute Of Engineering And Technology, Bachupally, Hyderabad.
Head of Department External Examiner Dr. D. Sailaja Professor &
HOD Dept of Biotechnology
-
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements Abstract Contents
1. Introduction 1.1 What is biodiesel? 1.2 Benefits of biodiesel
1.3 Biodiesel production 1.4 Advantages and disadvantages of
biodiesel
2. Biodiesel production from Jatropha Curcus
2.1 Introduction about Jatropha Curcus 2.2 Production of
biodiesel by transesterification process 2.3 Materials and methods
2.4 Results and discussions
2.5 Conclusion
3. Biodiesel production from Vegetable oil 3.1 Introduction
about vegetable oil 3.2 Methanol transesterification of vegetable
oil 3.3 Materials and methods 3.4 Results and discussion 3.5
Conclusion
-
A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T There are many people who have
helped us directly or indirectly in the successful completion of
our project. We would like to take this opportunity to thank one
and all. First of all we would like to express our deep sense of
gratitude towards our project guide Mr Ramesh, for always being
available whenever we require his guidance as well as for
motivating us through out the project work. We are also grateful to
the Dr. D.Sailaja, (H.O.D) for allowing us to do the project in
GRIET and for her valuable guidance during our project, which
helped me in the successful completion of my project. We would like
to thank all our friends for their help and constructive criticism
during our project period. Finally, we are very much indebted to
our parents for their moral support and encouragement to achieve
higher goals. We have no words to express our gratitude and still
we are very thankful to our parents who have shown us this world
and for every support they gave us. Signature Signature G. SINDHU
(07241A2320) M.SWETHA (07241A2324)
-
WHAT IS BIODIESEL?
Biodiesel is an alternative fuel similar to conventional or
fossil diesel. Biodiesel can be produced from straight vegetable
oil, animal oil/fats, tallow and waste cooking oil. The process
used to convert these oils to Biodiesel is called
transesterification. This process is described in more detail
below. The largest possible source of suitable oil comes from oil
crops such as rapeseed, palm or soybean. In the UK rapeseed
represents the greatest potential for biodiesel production. Most
biodiesel produced at present is produced from waste vegetable oil
sourced from restaurants, chip shops, industrial food producers
such as Birdseye etc. Though oil straight from the agricultural
industry represents the greatest potential source it is not being
produced commercially simply because the raw oil is too expensive.
After the cost of converting it to biodiesel has been added on it
is simply too expensive to compete with fossil diesel. Waste
vegetable oil can often be sourced for free or sourced already
treated for a small price. (The waste oil must be treated before
conversion to biodiesel to remove impurities). The result is
Biodiesel produced from waste vegetable oil can compete with fossil
diesel. More about the cost of biodiesel and how factors such as
duty play an important role can be found here.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BIODIESEL?
Biodiesel has many environmentally beneficial properties. The
main benefit of biodiesel is that it can be described as carbon
neutral. This means that the fuel produces no net output of carbon
in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2). This effect occurs because
when the oil crop grows it absorbs the same amount of CO2 as is
released when the fuel is combusted. In fact this is not completely
accurate as CO2 is released during the production of the fertilizer
required to fertilize the fields in which the oil crops are grown.
Fertilizer production is not the only source of pollution
associated with the production of biodiesel, other sources include
the esterification process, the solvent extraction of the oil,
refining, drying and transporting. All these processes require an
energy input either in the form of electricity or from a fuel, both
of which will generally result in the release of green house gases.
To properly assess the impact of all these sources requires use of
a technique called life cycle analysis. Our section on LCA looks
closer at this analysis. Biodiesel is rapidly biodegradable and
completely non-toxic, meaning spillages represent far less of a
risk than fossil diesel spillages. Biodiesel has a higher flash
point than fossil diesel and so is safer in the event of a
crash.
-
BIODIESEL PRODUCTION
As mentioned above biodiesel can be produced from straight
vegetable oil, animal oil/fats, tallow and waste oils. There are
three basic routes to biodiesel production from oils and fats:
Base catalyzed transesterification of the oil. Direct acid
catalyzed transesterification of the oil. Conversion of the oil to
its fatty acids and then to biodiesel.
The Transesterification process is the reaction of a
triglyceride (fat/oil) with an alcohol to form esters and glycerol.
A triglyceride has a glycerine molecule as its base with three long
chain fatty acids attached. The characteristics of the fat are
determined by the nature of the fatty acids attached to the
glycerine. The nature of the fatty acids can in turn affect the
characteristics of the biodiesel. During the esterification
process, the triglyceride is reacted with alcohol in the presence
of a catalyst, usually a strong alkaline like sodium hydroxide. The
alcohol reacts with the fatty acids to form the mono-alkyl ester,
or biodiesel and crude glycerol. In most production methanol or
ethanol is the alcohol used (methanol produces methyl esters,
ethanol produces ethyl esters) and is base catalysed by either
potassium or sodium hydroxide. Potassium hydroxide has been found
to be more suitable for the ethyl ester biodiesel production,
either base can be used for the methyl ester. A common product of
the transesterification process is Rape Methyl Ester (RME) produced
from raw rapeseed oil reacted with methanol.
The figure below shows the chemical process for methyl ester
biodiesel. The reaction between the fat or oil and the alcohol is a
reversible reaction and so the alcohol must be added in excess to
drive the reaction towards the right and ensure complete
conversion.
The products of the reaction are the biodiesel itself and
glycerol.
-
A successful transesterification reaction is signified by the
separation of the ester and glycerol layers after the reaction
time. The heavier, co-product, glycerol settles out and may be sold
as it is or it may be purified for use in other industries, e.g.
the pharmaceutical, cosmetics etc.
Straight vegetable oil (SVO) can be used directly as a fossil
diesel substitute however using this fuel can lead to some fairly
serious engine problems. Due to its relatively high viscosity SVO
leads to poor atomisation of the fuel, incomplete combustion,
coking of the fuel injectors, ring carbonisation, and accumulation
of fuel in the lubricating oil. The best method for solving these
problems is the transesterification of the oil.
The engine combustion benefits of the transesterification of the
oil are:
Lowered viscosity Complete removal of the glycerides Lowered
boiling point Lowered flash point Lowered pour point
-
PRODUCTION PROCESS
An example of a simple production flow chart is proved below
with a brief explanation of each step.
Mixing of alcohol and catalyst The catalyst is typically sodium
hydroxide (caustic soda) or potassium hydroxide (potash). It is
dissolved in the alcohol using a standard agitator or mixer.
Reaction. The alcohol/catalyst mix is then charged into a closed
reaction vessel and the oil or fat is added. The system from here
on is totally closed to the atmosphere to prevent the loss of
alcohol. The reaction mix is kept just above the boiling point of
the alcohol (around 160 F) to speed up the reaction and the
reaction takes place. Recommended reaction time varies from 1 to 8
hours, and some systems recommend the reaction take place at room
temperature. Excess alcohol is normally used to ensure total
conversion of the fat or oil to its esters. Care must be taken to
monitor the amount of water and free fatty acids in the incoming
oil or fat. If the free fatty acid level or water level is too high
it may cause problems with soap formation and the separation of the
glycerin by-product downstream.
Separation Once the reaction is complete, two major products
exist: glycerin and
biodiesel. Each has a substantial amount of the excess methanol
that was used in the reaction. The reacted mixture is sometimes
neutralized at this step if needed. The glycerin phase is much more
dense than biodiesel phase and the two can be gravity separated
with
-
glycerin simply drawn off the bottom of the settling vessel. In
some cases, a centrifuge is used to separate the two materials
faster.
Alcohol Removal Once the glycerin and biodiesel phases have been
separated, the excess alcohol in each phase is removed with a flash
evaporation process or by distillation. In others systems, the
alcohol is removed and the mixture neutralized before the glycerin
and esters have been separated. In either case, the alcohol is
recovered using distillation equipment and is re-used. Care must be
taken to ensure no water accumulates in the recovered alcohol
stream.
Glycerin Neutralization The glycerin by-product contains unused
catalyst and soaps that are neutralized with an acid and sent to
storage as crude glycerin. In some cases the salt formed during
this phase is recovered for use as fertilizer. In most cases the
salt is left in the glycerin. Water and alcohol are removed to
produce 80-88% pure glycerin that is ready to be sold as crude
glycerin. In more sophisticated operations, the glycerin is
distilled to 99% or higher purity and sold into the cosmetic and
pharmaceutical markets.
Methyl Ester Wash Once separated from the glycerin, the
biodiesel is sometimes purified by washing gently with warm water
to remove residual catalyst or soaps, dried, and sent to storage.
In some processes this step is unnecessary. This is normally the
end of the production process resulting in a clear amber-yellow
liquid with a viscosity similar to petrodiesel. In some systems the
biodiesel is distilled in an additional step to remove small
amounts of color bodies to produce a colorless biodiesel.
Product Quality Prior to use as a commercial fuel, the finished
biodiesel must be analyzed using sophisticated analytical equipment
to ensure it meets any required specifications. The most important
aspects of biodiesel production to ensure trouble free operation in
diesel engines are:
Complete Reaction Removal of Glycerin Removal of Catalyst
Removal of Alcohol Absence of Free Fatty Acids
-
ADVANTAGES OF BIODIESEL
It is made from renewable resources. It performs just as well as
the normal diesel fuel. It causes less pollution as compared to
diesel-powered engines. It is relatively less inflammable compared
to the normal diesel. It can be mixed with normal diesel fuel. It
is biologically degradable and reduces the danger of contamination
of soil and
underground water during transport, storage and use. It contains
no sulphur, the element responsible for acid rain. There are no
extra costs for the conversion of engines in comparison to
other
biological fuels. It is suitable for catalytic convertor.
Engines last longer when using it. Its refineries are comparitively
simpler and environmental-friendly in design than
typical petrochemical refineries. It produces 78% less carbon
dioxide (CO2) than normal diesel fuel. It has a higher cetane and
lubricity rating than pure petroleum-based diesel fuel,
which improves engine efficiency and operating life cycle.
DISADVANTAGES OF BIOFUELS
Growing crops for biofuel absorbs the carbon that biofuels emit,
but it does not absorb the fossil fuel emissions created in
planting, fertilizing, treating, harvesting, transporting and
processing these crops before they can be converted into fuel.
There are also considerable carbon emissions from the coal or gas
required to heat the required raw materials in the manufacturing
process. Its production can also lead to environmental destruction.
Brazil, for example, produces ethanol from sugar cane but to do so
is cutting down the Amazon rain forest, thus causing great damage
to the environment.
Too much concentration on running vehicles on plant oil would
set up a direct competition between feeding the cars and feeding
the people. This would not increase our self-reliance but would
increase our food and energy vulnerability.
-
BIODIESEL PRODUCTION FROM
JATROPHA CURCAS
-
JATROPHA CURCUS
INTRODUCTION Jatropha curcus is a drought-resistant perennial,
growing well in marginal/poor soil. It is easy to establish, grows
relatively quickly and lives, producing seeds for 50 years.
Jatropha the wonder plant produces seeds with an oil content of
37%. The oil can be combusted as fuel without being refined. It
burns with clear smoke-free flame, tested successfully as fuel for
simple diesel engine. The by-products are press cake a good organic
fertilizer, oil contains also insecticide. It is found to be
growing in many parts of the country, rugged in nature and can
survive with minimum inputs and easy to propagate. Medically it is
used for diseases like cancer, piles, snakebite, paralysis, dropsy
etc. Jatropha grows wild in many areas of India and even thrives on
infertile soil. A good crop can be obtained with little effort.
Depending on soil quality and rainfall, oil can be extracted from
the jatropha nuts after two to five years. The annual nut yield
ranges from 0.5 to 12 tons. The kernels consist of oil to about 60
percent; this can be transformed into biodiesel fuel through
esterification. Family: Euphorbiaceae Synonyms: Curcas purgans
Medic. Vernacular/common names: English- physic nut, purging nut;
Hindi - Ratanjyot Jangli erandi; Malayalam - Katamanak; Tamil -
Kattamanakku; Telugu - Pepalam; Kannada - Kadaharalu; Gujarathi -
Jepal; Sanskrit - Kanana randa.
Distribution and habitat
It is still uncertain where the centre of origin is, but it is
believed to be Mexico and Central America. It has been introduced
to Africa and Asia and is now culti-vated world-wide. This highly
drought-resistant spe-cies is adapted to arid and semi-arid
conditions. The
current distribution shows that introduction has been most
successful in the drier regions of the tropics with annual rainfall
of 300-1000 mm. It occurs mainly at lower altitudes (0-500 m) in
areas with average an-nual temperatures well above 20C but can grow
at higher altitudes and tolerates slight frost. It grows on
well-drained soils with good aeration and is well adapted to
marginal soils with low nutrient content.
Botanical Features It is a small tree or shrub with smooth gray
bark, which
-
exudes a whitish colored, watery, latex when cut. Normally, it
grows between three and five meters in height, but can attain a
height of up to eight or ten meters under favourable
conditions.
Leaves
It has large green to pale-green leaves, alternate to
sub-opposite, three-to five-lobed with a spiral phyllotaxis.
Flowers The petiole length ranges between 6-23 mm. The
inflorescence is formed in the leaf axil. Flowers are formed
terminally, individually, with female flowers usually slightly
larger and occurs in the hot seasons. In conditions where
continuous growth occurs, an unbalance of pistillate or staminate
flower production results in a higher number of female flowers.
Fruits
Fruits are produced in winter when the shrub is leafless, or it
may produce several crops during the year if soil moisture is good
and temperatures are sufficiently high. Each inflorescence yields a
bunch of approximately 10 or more ovoid fruits. A three, bi-valved
cocci is formed after the seeds mature and the fleshy exocarp
dries.
Seeds The seeds become mature when the capsule changes from
green to yellow, after two to four months. Flowering and fruiting
habit
The trees are deciduous, shedding the leaves in the dry season.
Flowering occurs during the wet season and two flowering peaks are
often seen. In permanently hu-mid regions, flowering occurs
throughout the year. The seeds mature about three months after
flowering. Early growth is fast and with good rainfall conditions
nursery plants may
-
bear fruits after the first rainy season, direct sown plants
after the second rainy season. The flowers are pollinated by
insects especially honey bees.
Ecological Requirements Jatropha curcas grows almost anywhere ,
even on gravelly, sandy and saline soils. It can thrive on the
poorest stony soil. It can grow even in the crevices of rocks. The
leaves shed during the winter months form mulch around the base of
the plant. The organic matter from shed leaves enhance earth-worm
activity in the soil around the root-zone of the plants, which
improves the fertility of the soil. Regarding climate, Jatropha
curcas is found in the tropics and subtropics and likes heat,
although it does well even in lower temperatures and can withstand
a light frost. Its water requirement is extremely low and it can
stand long periods of drought by shedding most of its leaves to
reduce transpiration loss. Jatropha is also suitable for preventing
soil erosion and shifting of sand dunes.
Biophysical limits
Altitude: 0-500 m, Mean annual temperature: 20-28 deg. C, Mean
annual rainfall: 300-1000 mm or more. Soil type: Grows on
well-drained soils with good aeration.
-
PRODUCTION OF BIODIESEL BY TRANSESTERIFICATION OF JATROPHA OIL
USING IMMOBILIZED
Pseudomonas fluorescens
ABSTRACT Transesterification of vegetable oils is an important
reaction that produces fatty acid alkyl esters, methyl and ethyl
esters which are excellent substitutes for diesel fuel. Biodiesel
prepared by catalyzed mild tranesterification has become of much
current interest for alternative fuel production. In the present
study the ability of a commercial immobilized Pseudomonas
fluorescens to catalyze the transesterification of Jatropha oil and
methanol was investigated. The cell of P. fluorescens was easily
immobilized within the sodium alginate during batch process. The
important parameters like temperature, pH, reaction time and amount
of beads was studied. From the study it was found that maximum
yield of biodiesel was obtained at the optimum conditions of at 40
, pH of 7.0, reaction time 48hrs and amount of beads 3g. the
physical properties of the products were analyzed and the results
were compared with the other sources of oils like used vegetable
oils.
-
INTRODUCTION For more than two centuries, the worlds energy
supply has relied heavily on non-renewable crude oil derived liquid
fuels. Out of which 90% is estimated as to be consumed for energy
generation and transportation. It is also known that emissions from
the combustion of these fuels such as CO2, CO, NOx and sulfur
containing residues are the principal causes of global warming. On
the other hand, known crude oil reserves could be depleted in less
than 50years at the present rate of consumption. Thus, increased
environmental concerns, tougher clean air act standards
necessitates the search for a viable alternative fuels, which are
environmentally friendly. Oil seed crops such as palm, soyabean,
sunflower, peanut, olive etc are by far the largest group of
exploitable renewable biomass resource for liquid fuel and energy
generation. The attractive features of bio-diesel fuel are:
- It is a plant derived, not petroleum derived, and such its
combustion does not increase current net atmospheric levels of CO2,
a greenhouse gas.
- It can be domestically produced, offering the possibility of
reducing petroleum imports.
- It is biodegradable. - Relative to conventional diesel fuel,
its combustion products have reduced
level of particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides,
hydrocarbons etc. - Vegetable oils can be used in diesel engines as
they have high octane
number and calorific value very close to diesel.
Transesterification of vegetable oils is an important reaction
that produces fatty acid alkyl esters that are valuable
intermediates in oleo chemistry, and methyl and ethyl esters which
are excellent substitutes for diesel fuel. Transesterification as
an industrial process is usually carried out by heating an excess
of the alcohol with vegetable oils under different reaction
conditions in the presence of an inorganic catalyst. The most
commonly used catalysts are alkali hydroxides and alcoholates.
Transesterification is also possible under acidic conditions, but
this process requires higher reaction temperatures. Chemical
methanolysis using an alkali catalysis process gives high
conversion levels of triglycerides to their corresponding methyl
esters in short reaction times, the reaction has several drawbacks:
it is energy intensive, recovery of glycerol id difficult, the
alkaline catalyst has to be removed from the product, alkaline
wastewater requires treatment, and free fatty acids and water
interee with the reaction. Pseudomonas species immobilized with
sodium alginate gel can be used directly as a whole cell
biocatalyst. In the present study, Pseudomonas fluroscence cells
immobilized within sodium alginate gel as a whole cell biocatalyst
was utilized for biodiesel fuel production from Jatropha oil.
-
MATERIALS The non-edible crude Jatropha oil was purchased
commercially and was stored at 4 to avoid rancidity of the
vegetable oil. Its quality characteristics were determined
according to the standard methods of fats and oils published by the
association of oil chemists, which has the density of 0.92g/ , acid
value of 19.635mg KOH, saponification value of 187gm KOH and free
fatty acid of 17.25mg KOH/g and it was used throughout the
experimentation.
P. fluorescens, was obtained from Microbial Type Culture
Collection and Gene Bank. The culture was maintained on nutrient
agar medium. After three days incubation at 25 the agar slants were
stored at 4 .The liquid medium for the growth of inoculums for
bacteria was nutrient agar medium composed of 1.0 g/l of beef
extract, 2.0 g/l of yeast extract, 5.0 g/l of NaCl.
-
INOCULA PREPARATION Inocula were grown aerobically in 250ml
Erlenmeyer flasks containing the above mentioned medium at 25 in an
environmental shaker at 200rpm for 24h.
Active cells were centrifuged in a clinical centrifuge
(1200rpm), washed with sterile water, and were used as inoculum.
IMMOBILIZATION OF Pseudomonas fluorescence CELLS BY ENTRAPMENT The
sodium alginate entrapment of cells was performed according to the
standard method. Alginate solution with a concentration range of
0.5 10% was used or the cell immobilization and was prepared by
dissolving sodium alginate in boiling water and autoclaved at 121
for 15min. Both alginate slurry and cell suspension was mixed and
stirred for 10min to get uniform mixture. The alginate solution was
extruded drop by drop into a cold sterile 0.2m CaCl2 solution
through a sterile 5ml pipette from 5cm height and kept for curing
at 4 for 1h. the beads were hardened by resuspending into a fresh
CaCl2 solution for 24h at 4 with gentle agitation. Finally these
beads were washed with distilled water to remove excess calcium
ions and unentraped cells. When the beads are not being used, they
are preserved in 0.9% sodium chloride solution in the
refrigerator.
-
METHANOLYSIS OF JATROPHA OIL Methanolysis reactions were
conducted at stoichiometric molar ratio of oil/methanol; oil and
methano were poured into the reaction flask and heated to the
reaction temperature with constant shaking using magnetic stirrer
for 48h.
In subsequent experiments, in which the effect of molar ratio of
oil/methanol was investigated, the volume of the oil is kept
constant and the volume of methanol is varied. Around 3ml of hexane
is added to the reaction mixture to increase the solubility of the
reactants. The appropriate amount of immobilized whole cells based
on oil weight was added to the flask. After 48h of reaction time,
the reaction was stopped and the cells were removed from the
reaction mixture by filtration.
The produced ester and byproduct glycerol were separated using
separate funnel. The biodiesel and glycerol were collected and
stored.
-
EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE Temperature is one of the importance
parameter for the production of biodiesel because the rate of
reaction is strongly influenced by the reaction temperature. The
effect of temperature on biodiesel production from Jatropha oil
using immobilized cells of P. fluorescens was studied by conducting
experiments at different temperatures 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 keeping
initial cell concentration of 3g of beads, substrate concentraton
of 50ml of oil (1:3 molar ratio oil/methanol) with n-hexane (3ml),
reaction time of 48h and pH of 7.0 were fixed constant. Temperature
25 30 35 40 45 Yield 40% 55% 65% 70% 60%
Maximum yield of 70% biodiesel was obtained at temperature 40
and was found decreasing after 40 due to denaturation of enzyme.
The optimum temperature of the maximum yield of biodiesel was fixed
as 40 .
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percentageyeild
Percentageyeild
-
EFFECT OF PH pH of the reaction media is the another important
parameter affecting the yield of biodiesel. In this experiment, the
pH of the reaction media was varied from 5.5 to 7.5. the effect of
pH on biodiesel production of Jatropha oil using immobilized cells
of P. fluorescens was studied by conducting experiments at
different pH 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0 and 7.5. pH 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5
Yield 40% 50% 60% 70% 55%
The yield of biodiesel was found to be increasing and a maximum
70% was obtained at pH 7.0 and the yield of biodiesel was found to
be decreasing when the pH was increased beyond 7.0.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0 2 4 6 8
PercentageYeild
PercentageYeild
-
EFFECT OF REACTION TIME Effect of time on biodiesel production
from Jatropha oil using immobilized cells of P. fluorescens was
studied by conducting experiments with different periods of 12, 24,
36, 48 and 60h. experiments were carried out at th optimum
temperature 40 , pH 7.0, immobilized cell concentration of 3g beads
and substrate concentration of 50ml of oil. Reaction time
12hrs 24hrs 36hrs 48hrs 60hrs
Yield 40% 50% 60% 70% 65%
Yield of biodiesel increases till 48h and thereafter decreases.
Further increase in the reactiontime does not have effect on the
production of biodiesel.
01020304050607080
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Percentageyeild
Percentageyeild
-
EFFECT OF AMOUNT OF BEADS The effect of amount of immobilized
beads on production of biodiesel from jatropha oil using
immobilized cells of P. fluorescens was studied by conducting
experiments at different amounts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5g at constant
levels of substrate concentration of 50ml of oil (1:3 molar ratio
of oil/methanol) and n-hexane (3ml) at optimum temperature 40 , pH
7.0 and reaction time 48h. Amount of beads
1gms 2gms 3gms 4gms 5gms
Yield 32% 45% 70% 65% 60%
The percentage of yield of biodiesel increases till 4g and
thereafter decreases, so 4g was chosen as the optimum amount of
beads. The maximum yield of biodiesel is 70%.
01020304050607080
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
PercentageYeild
PercentageYeild
-
ANALYSIS
OPTIMUM
MAXIMUM PERCENTAGE YIELD
Temperature
40
70%
pH
7
70%
Reaction time
48hrs
70%
Amount of beads
4gms
70%
Transesterification reaction was carried out using jatropha oil
and short chain alcohol (methanol on hexane) using immobilized
cells of P. fluorescens. The various parameters affecting biodiesel
yield namely temperature, Ph, reaction time and amount of beads.
The maximum yield of 70% was obtained at optimum values of
temperature 40 , pH 7, reaction time 48h and amount of beads 4g and
molar ratio of oil to alcohol 1:4. The biodiesel produced was
analysed for its physical properties and compared with the values
of petroleum based diesel. The specific gravity, flash and fire
point, cloud and pour point, kinematic viscosity are slightly lower
than that of diesel, whereas the diesel index is much higher and
the smoke point is slightly lower.
-
BIODIESEL FROM USED VEGETABLE OIL
-
VEGETABLE OIL
Vegetable oil is an alternative fuel for diesel engines and for
heating oil burners. For engines designed to burn diesel fuel, the
viscosity of vegetable oil must be lowered to allow for proper
atomization of the fuel, otherwise incomplete combustion and carbon
build up will ultimately damage the engine. Many enthusiasts refer
to vegetable oil used as fuel as waste vegetable oil (WVO) if it is
oil that was discarded from a restaurant or straight vegetable oil
(SVO) or pure plant oil (PPO) to distinguish it from biodiesel.
PROPERTIES
The main form of SVO/PPO used in the UK is rapeseed oil (also
known as canola oil, primarily in the United States and Canada)
which has a freezing point of -10C. However the use of sunflower
oil, which gels at around -12C,[7] is currently being investigated
as a means of improving cold weather starting. Unfortunately oils
with lower gelling points tend to be less saturated (leading to a
higher iodine number) and polymerize more easily in the presence of
atmospheric oxygen.
Material compatibility
Free fatty acids in WVO can have a detrimental effect on metals.
Copper and its alloys, such as brass, are affected. Zinc and
zinc-plating (galvanization) are stripped by FFA's and tin, lead,
iron, and steel are affected too. Stainless steel and aluminum are
generally unaffected.
Temperature effects Some Pacific island nations are using
coconut oil as fuel to reduce their expenses and their dependence
on imported fuels while helping stabilize the coconut oil market.
Coconut oil is only usable where temperatures do not drop below 17
degrees Celsius (62 degrees Fahrenheit), unless two-tank SVO/PPO
kits or other tank-heating accessories, etc. are used.
-
HOME HEATING
When liquid fuels made from biomass as used for energy purposes
other than transport they are called bioliquids.
With often minimal modification, most residential furnaces and
boilers that are designed to burn No. 2 heating oil can be made to
burn either biodiesel or filtered, preheated waste vegetable oil.
These are generally not as clean-burning as petroleum fuel oil, but
if processed at home, by the consumer, can result in considerable
savings. Many restaurants will give away their used cooking oil
either free or at minimal cost, and processing to biodiesel is
fairly simple and inexpensive. Burning filtered Waste Vegetable Oil
(WVO) directly is somewhat more problematic, since it is much more
viscous, but it can be accomplished with suitable preheating. WVO
can thus be an economical heating option for those with the
necessary mechanical and experimental aptitude, where fire
regulations and insurance policy permit it.
AVAILABILITY Waste vegetable oil
As of 2000, the United States was producing in excess of 11
billion liters of waste vegetable oil annually, mainly from
industrial deep fryers in potato processing plants, snack food
factories and fast food restaurants. If all those 11 billion liters
could be collected and used to replace the energetically equivalent
amount of petroleum, almost 1% of US oil consumption could be
offset.]Use of waste vegetable oil as a fuel competes with some
other uses of the commodity, which has effects on its price as a
fuel and increases its cost as an input to the other uses as
well.
Pure plant oil (Straight vegetable oil)
Pure plant oil (PPO) (or Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO)), in
contrast to waste vegetable oil, is not a byproduct of other
industries, and thus its prospects for use as fuel are not limited
by the capacities of other industries. Production of vegetable oils
for use as fuels is theoretically limited only by the agricultural
capacity of a given economy. However, doing so detracts from the
supply of other uses of pure vegetable oil.
-
METHANOL TRANSESTERIFICATON OF VEGETABLE OIL
ABSTRACT The result of the investigation on methyl esters
obtained on the basis of used vegetable oil are given in this
paper. Transesterification reaction conditions that effect yield
and purity of the product esters including oil quality, type and
concentration of catalyst, temperature and reaction time were
examined. Methanol transesterification of different oils at 60 with
1-10 % (v/v) sodium met-oxide was studied, with appropriate percent
of sodium met-oxide, temperature 60 and 1 hour. Vegetable oil was
sufficiently transesterified and could be used as fuel in diesel
engines.
-
INTRODUCTION
Over 45 million tonnes of greenhouse gases are produced every
year from the burning of diesel in trucks. Of course we are trying
to find new creative ways to save our environment and one way to do
this is to use vegetable oil as a renewable source of fuel for
transportation and also the use of heating.
There are so many benefits of using this source to replace
fossil fuels and some of these include reduced air pollution,
reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and conservation of limited
fossil fuels. There are two different ways that you can use
vegetable oil as a fuel in engines.
The first way is that you can use straight vegetable oil either
waste frying oil or fresh- pressed oil, however you will need an
extra fuel tank and a system for heating and filtering the oil
before it reaches the engine. The reason why you will need this is
because pure vegetable oil is too thick to work in the engine
unless the oil is heated up.
The other way is to simply convert the vegetable oil into
biodiesel which can be used in a diesel engine without any
modifications. Biodiesel is a fuel source made from vegetable oil
when a chemical reaction occurs between methanol and lye. It can be
created either from using waste vegetable oil from the food
industry, or you have the other option of using it from
fresh-pressed vegetable oil.
This is something that is now being made to sell commercially in
thousands of countries all around the world, however with the right
equipment and enough time it can also be made right at home. Some
of the toxic air pollutants that are reduced include soot,
particulates, carbon monoxide, and sulphur oxides, however nitrous
oxide emissions may increase slightly.
-
MATERIALS AND METHODS Warm up oil: Pour the oil into the flask
and turn the electric heater to low. We need to warm up the oil for
a couple of reasons. First, the heating will make the oil less
viscous so it will stir more easily. Second, the heat helps the
conversion to biodiesel go faster. Temperature:
Using a thermometer bring the temperature to between 120 to 130
which is about 50 .
This will feel hot but not too hot to touch. Instead of electric
heater, the flask could be placed in
hot tap water. Weigh out lye: Open the lye bottle, add sodium
hydroxide until the balance reads 5.0g. Be sure to close the bottle
of lye as you get right amount weighed. Lye will absorb water out
of the air making it heavier and less effective. Pour methanol into
NaOH: Take the lye in a bottle. Open the methanol bottle and pour
some methanol into the bottle of lye. Continue adding methanol
until the bottle is about full. Dissolve NaOH in the methanol:
Close the lid. Tip the bottle back and forth until the NaOH
dissolves. The NaOH reacts with the methanol to form a powerful
substance called methoxide (C ONa).
-
The bottle will get warm as the NaOH dissolves. Place flask on
magnetic stirrer:
The flask can now be placed on the magnetic stirrer. Be sure to
put the magnetic bar in the flask. To keep the
temperature between 120 to 130 , adjust the temperature. Pour
methoxide into oil: Open the methoxide bottle and pour it into the
flask containing oil. Pour the remaining methanol into the flask
containing the oil and methoxide. This extra methanol helps to
convert more of the oil to biodiesel. Stir mixture:
Turn on the magnetic stirrer to mix the methoxide, oil and
methanol. The stirrer should not be too fast, the meagnetic
bar may get unstable. Stirring time is normally listed as 2hrs.
To get maximum yield of biodiesel, 2hrs is recommended.
Separating funnel: The pear-shaped glassware is called a
separating funnel because it is good for separating liquids that
split into two layers. In the biodiesel process, the methoxide
reacts with the oil and makes two products. One is glycerin and the
other is biodiesel.The glycerin will sink to the bottom. A
separating funnel makes it easier to drain off the glycerin. Pour
product into separating funnel:
After 2hrs of stirring, the obtained product is poured into the
separating funnel. In a few minutes, the glycerin will settle down
at the bottom of the separating funnel. It will
not be pure glycerin, because some of the sodium hydroxide will
be with it.
-
Drain off glycerin: Turn the stopcock so the glycerin drains
out. Glycerin can be saved to be used for other purposes. This
glycerin has some contamination with NaOH and methanol, but the
NaOH is neutralized and the methanol will evaporate. The NaOH can
be neutralized with a little lemon juice to get it around a pH of 6
or 7. Add water for washing:
After draining out glycerin, add tap water to the separating
funnel. To get rid of any residues of glycerin and NaOH. Mix the
water and biodiesel using an air pump. After few
minutes the water and biodiesel gets separated. Drain off
biodiesel: The biodiesel is collected in a beaker. The biodiesel is
obtained in a Liquid gold colour. The biodiesel is dried, to remove
the traces of water. After drying, the biodiesel is ready to be
used in a diesel engine.
-
CONFORMATION TEST FOR GLYCEROL
1. Check to make sure the absent-minded professor has set up a
pan of boiling water for you. This should be in an "on" fume hood
as some chlorine gas will be produced.
2. Set up three test tubes: blank, glycerol std, and your
experimental. 3. Add one ml of water to the blank; one ml of 10%
glycerol to the standard; and
one ml of your fermentation mixture to the experimental tube. 4.
To each, add one ml of Clorox; wait three minutes. 5. Add 4 drops
of concentrated (12M) HCl to each tube. 6. Place the three tubes in
the boiling water for a minute to drive off
any chlorine gas. 7. Add 200 L (0.2 mL) 5% -naphthol* 8. Add 4
mL of concentrated H2SO4 (take care to not get any of this on
your fingers or clothes!) 9. Shake the tubes carefully to mix;
prevent splashing! 10. An emerald green color indicates the
presence of glycerol.
-
CONFORMATION TEST FOR BIODIESEL
Clarity Testing Finished Biodiesel for Water
This is a visual inspection of the finished biodiesel. Water
free biodiesel will be clear. The common method of testing is to
put a sample in a jar and if you can read a newspaper through the
biodiesel then it passes the test. For larger batches, the ability
to see the bottom of a drum of biodiesel clearly is often used.
This is a good test, however it does not detect water that is
dissolved in the biodiesel. Water dissolved in biodiesel will be
evenly distributed on a molecular level throughout the biodiesel.
There is some debate as to the effect of dissolved water on certain
types of diesel engines. One important fact is that hot biodiesel
will hold more dissolved water than cold biodiesel. This results in
hot or warm biodiesel passing the test and cold biodiesel failing
the test. It is important to pass the test when the biodiesel is
slightly colder than the expected operating temperature.
Cloud Point Testing
This test is performed by placing a sample of finished biodiesel
in the freezer and watching it for cloudiness. The temperature at
which the biodiesel first turns cloudy is the cloud point. This
test is important for winter fuel. It is related to the "Gel Point
Test". The cloud point is near the temperature at which your filter
will clog from frozen biodiesel.
Gel Point Testing
In this test you place a sample of finished biodiesel in a
freezer and record the temperature at which the biodiesel starts to
gel. This is an important test for winter fuel. Simply put, you
don't drive on biodiesel at temperatures below the gel point.
The Methanol Test from JTF or the 27/3 Test
Neither Triglycerides or Diglycerides are soluable in dry
methanol, but Monoglycerides and Biodiesel will dissolve in dry
methanol. If significant Triglycerides or Diglycerides present will
fall to the bottom of the test. To perform the test add 1 part
biodiesel to 9 parts methanol, by volume. On infopop many use 3 mL
of biodiesel and 27 mL of methanol and call the test either the
Jan
-
Warnqvist test or the 27/3 test. Testing has shown that for the
test to appromimate ASTM level conversions the original 25ml of
biodiesel and 225ml of methanol need to be used. Triglycerides and
Diglycerides will form a precipitant on the bottom. Only a liquid
precipitant that collects together to form a bead or bubble that
rolls arond on the bottom of the test is significant. If you have a
liquid precipitant after about 5 minuites, then your biodiesel is
under converted. Your methanol should be dry and you perform this
test at room temperature, The test has been found to be temperature
sensitive. Hot biodiesel straight off the processor can give false
readings as can using cold methanol stored outside in winter.
The pHLip Test
The pHLip test is a commercial test that was designed as a
"Firewall" for bad fuel in the biodiesel distribution chain. It is
a simple test consisting of a vial of red liquid, to which you add
your sample of biodiesel, flip end over end 10 times and wait 10
minutes. It will tell you if your biodiesel is high quality or if
it fails for total glycerine, soap content, free glycerine,
oxidation and catalyst contamination.