Enzymatic synthesis of biodiesel from moringa oleifera oil via transesterification /
Biodiesel has become one of the leading options to replace fossil fuels as a source of energy and traditionally uses edible plants as they have high acid values, which in turn produce high quality oil. Current methods of producing biodiesel generate toxic waste as a result of chemical catalysts used...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Kuala Lumpur :
Kulliyyah of Engineering, International Islamic University Malaysia,
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Click here to view 1st 24 pages of the thesis. Members can view fulltext at the specified PCs in the library. |
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| Summary: | Biodiesel has become one of the leading options to replace fossil fuels as a source of energy and traditionally uses edible plants as they have high acid values, which in turn produce high quality oil. Current methods of producing biodiesel generate toxic waste as a result of chemical catalysts used to accelerate the process. In order to reduce costs and to ensure conservation, a more environmentally friendly approach is required. Hence, this study explored the biodiesel potential of mature Moringa oleifera seeds, which are non-edible and therefore do not compete with food resources, via transesterification using immobilised Candida antarctica lipase as a catalyst. Moringa oil was extracted using Soxhlet extraction, with hexane as the solvent of choice. The crude oil was then characterised with respect to its physico-chemical properties. Candida antarctica lipase was purified and immobilised on functionalised activated carbon (FAC) and effectiveness of different acids for functionalisation on immobilisation capacity was tested by reflux with hydrochloric acid, nitric acid and sulphuric acid, with HCl-FAC giving the highest immobilization capacity (6.022 U/g). The immobilisation conditions were optimised by first screening parameters (time, temperature, pH, and agitation) using one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) analysis and optimising according to time, temperature and pH using Face Centred Composite Design (FCCCD) in Design Expert. The optimum conditions were found to be 40°C, pH 6 and 24 hours. OFAT was used once more to determine if agitation, time, temperature, catalyst concentration and methanol to oil ratio showed significant influence on biodiesel production. Design Expert software was used in order to determine the optimum conditions for transesterification of Moringa oil. FCCCD using was selected, and the parameters chosen were: methanol to oil ratio, temperature, catalyst concentration and time. The optimum conditions were methanol to oil ratio 4:1, 40°C, 4% catalyst loading and 24 hours which gives a maximum yield of biodiesel of 94.01%. The kinetics of the transesterification reaction found that the activation energy was 43.126 kJ/mol and the frequency factor was 1.758 × 108 min-1 from a pseudo-first order reaction rate. Validation of both optimisations was then carried out as suggested by the software. The biodiesel was characterised with respect to iodine value, acid composition, kinematic viscosity, density, cloud point and pour point. This step determined the extent of conformity of the resulting biodiesel to the specified ASTM D 6751 and EN 14214 standards. High quality biodiesel product was found to be well within given standards and was the expected result of this study. |
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| Physical Description: | xviii, 140 leaves : illustrations ; 30cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-136). |