A comparison between the production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil and refined-bleached-deodorized palm oil using ultrasonic transesterification with potassium hydroxide as a catalyst

摘要

The recent issue of peak oil and environmental concerns has prompted deeper research into the area of alternative fuels, particularly biofuel. Two types of feedstock for biodiesel production was researched in this project, namely waste cooking oil (WCO) and Refined-Bleached-Deodorized (RBD) palm oil. The performance of the alkaline catalyst potassium hydroxide was investigated towards the methyl ester purity of the product produced using ultrasonic ransesterification. The methanol oil molar ratio used in this research was 6:1. The best conditions for biodiesel production were determined in terms of reaction time and catalyst concentration. The range of catalyst concentration and reaction time studied were 0.75 to 1.75 weight percent and 20 to 50 minutes respectively. Catalyst concentration and reaction time played a significant role in the purity of the product produced. The results show that the best catalyst concentration to produce methyl ester of high purity is at 1.75 weight percent, while the best reaction time necessary is 50 minutes. The resulting conditions were then used to synthesize the final product that was then subjected to a combustion test to determine the quantity of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emitted. WCO biodiesel was found to have 19.1% lower carbon monoxide emissions than RBD palm oil biodiesel. In terms of the amount of carbon dioxide released, WCO biodiesel had emissions higher than that of RBD palm oil biodiesel by 2.3%. In conclusion, WCO biodiesel was found to be more environmentally friendly compared to RBD palm oil biodiesel upon combustion.