Influence of Variables in the Purification Process of Castor Oil Biodiesel

摘要

Biodiesel is a fuel alternative to petroleum diesel, usually obtained byrntransesterification, which is the reaction of vegetable oils or animal fat with a shortrnchain alcohol in the presence of a catalyst. After the reaction, the biodiesel is purifiedrnthrough a washing process for removing impurities. The washing experiments of castorrnbiodiesel were performed according to the complete factorial design 23. The variablesrnstudied were: temperature, pH of wash water, and catalyst (NaOH or KOH). Therncriterion used to define the best process condition was the minimum amount of waterrnneeded to wash the biodiesel. Analyzing the effects of the variables and of theirrninteractions in the experimental procedure, the conditions that favored the minimumrnconsumption of wash water was the acidic pH. The temperature and the catalyst typernshowed negligible significance for the study during the purification of biodiesel castor.