Acid-catalyzed esterification for biodiesel production from acid oil

In this study, acid oil, which is a by-product of oil refinery waste was used for acid-catalyzed esterification to produce biodiesel. The reaction variables were methanol: acid oil molar ratio (۱:۱, ۵:۱, and ۱۰:۱), catalyst concentration (۱%, ۲%, and ۳%), and reaction time (۵, ۳۰, and ۶۰ min). Conversion yield, mass yield, free fatty acid (FFA) content, and physical properties (viscosity, density, refractive index, color attributes) of all the biodiesel samples were investigated. With increasing the methanol: acid oil molar ratio, catalyst concentration, and time, conversion yield and density increased, while free fatty acid content, viscosity and refractive index decreased, displaying an asymptotic trend toward equilibrium. At methanol: acid oil molar ratio of ۱۰:۱, catalyst concentration of ۳%, and reaction time of ۶۰ min, a near-maximum conversion yield of ۹۵.۳% was achieved. These conditions were considered optimum practical conditions, balancing biodiesel yield with operational and economic feasibility. Final yield of produced biodiesel at the practical optimum condition was ۸۴.۲۵%, which confirms that acid oil is a suitable feedstock for biodiesel production.

کلیدواژه ها:

Acid oil ، Biodiesel ، Esterification ، Waste