LIS 2022 New 1-56-64
LIS 2022 New 1-56-64
LIS 2022 New 1-56-64
E-ISSN: 2985-4393
ENG 004 :
A Review on Analysis of Parameters Affecting
Transesterification Reaction using Waste Cooking Oil
Feedstock to Produce Biodiesel
Mohd Affandi Mohd Ali1,* Rosmawati Binti Jalal 1, Zaini Bin Ashari2
1,2
Petrochemical Engineering Department
Polytechnic Tun Syed Nasir Syed Ismail
KM1, Jln Panchor, 84600 Pagoh, Muar Johor
*
Corresponding author: m.affandi@ptsn.edu.my
ABSTRACT. The purpose of this research is to examine the factors that influence biodiesel
production from waste cooking oil in the Malaysian market. Due to their low free fatty
acid concentration and lack of/zero H2O content, virgin oils have traditionally been
used to make biodiesel. Many issues have been made worse by virgin oil, such as oil
shortages caused by a food shortage and pollution, as well as other things that have
made the economy less sustainable. The literature reviewed was selective and
critically determined the likelihood of parameters were affected biodiesel production
efficiency. According to the researcher and industry player, 0.5 to 3 % of free fatty
acid, non/zero H2O content, heterogeneous catalyst 1-5 wt%, methanol/oil ratio 1:5
mole, temperature for single-step transesterification ranging from 25 to 85 °C and
reaction time from 2-10 min could give good feedback to the high percentage of
biodiesel and environmental benign.
INTRODUCTION
The biodiesel sector in Malaysia has a number of challenges. Biodiesel
commercialisation was stymied by a lack of feedstock availability and high costs. Biodiesel
feedstock accounts for 70-80% of the overall cost of manufacturing, according to Demirbas
(2007). This is a significant portion of the entire cost of producing energy fuels. Because oil-
producing plants are now yielding less oil, this has an effect on the production of fatty acid
methyl esters (FAME). Meaningful changes in agricultural operations and much increased
output are necessary before FAME can make a significant contribution as an alternative fuel.
It is essential that farmers ensure a long-term supply in order to lessen the risk of a project
investment. The majority of biodiesel is made from expensive, high-quality vegetable oil,
which adds to its price. However, repurposing used cooking oils may solve this issue. Topare
et al. (2021) claim that waste cooking oil (WCO) may reduce the cost of biodiesel by as much
as two to three times. Despite this, there is still a problem in collecting waste oil in a
systematic manner over time. Additionally, these low-cost feedstocks generally include high
contaminants, more water, and FFA that cannot be efficiently converted to biodiesel. A study
by Cordero-Ravelo and Schallenberg-Rodriguez (2018) found that water might have a
higher impact than the presence of FFA. Ideally, the feedstock should be water-free. The
catalyst will reduce the conversion rate of methyl esters regardless of how little water content
it has (0.1 percent). When water and FFA are present, soap is formed, preventing the ester
and glycerine from being separated. As a result, the presence of water in the catalyst's
surface serves as a barrier between the reactant and the active site of the catalyst, so
reducing its efficacy. By replacing heterogeneous catalysis with homogeneous catalysis,
heterogeneous catalysis simplifies the separation phase. Apart from these advantages, the
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METHODOLOGY
One layer of the WCO was discovered to be darker and more viscous than the other,
which may have been due to the presence of water. As a result, just the top layer was
employed in the research. Once it had been passed through the sieve (200 µm size), the top
layer could be used. Excess contaminants were removed by heating and centrifuging the
crude WCO. Prior to transesterification, the cleaned oil was heated to the required reaction
temperature.
Biodiesel was produced from waste cooking oil by using a single-step
transesterification procedure, Figure 1a). Thus, WCO must include less than 3% of FFAs
and water (H2O) content in order to create more methyl ester. Using a stirrer, a
predetermined mixture of catalyst and methanol was heated to a homogenous state. Two
separate layers were formed when the product was allowed to settle for 24 hours. Warm
water was then used to remove the remaining methanol and glycerol from WCOME, figure
1b. The florisil being added to the crude biodiesel and forcefully agitated at 40°C to remove
the water residual during the purification process. The flowchart in Figure 2 illustrates the
WCO reaction process.
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Oil
Reaction Section
Methanol
Catalyst
Florisil Biodiesel
Biodiesel
Purification
Glycerol
H2O CONTENT
The presence of water (H2O) must be avoided in order to get the most out of biodiesel
conversion. Figure 4 shown the differentiate colour between high and lower water
concentration of H2O in the oil with >0.1 % w/w and 0.06 % w/w, respectively. Therefore,
hydrolysis of biodiesel and creation of soap are both facilitated by the presence of water in
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transesterification reactions, hence water-free reactants are required for this process.
Because of this, more gel might be made and it might be more difficult to separate glycerol.
According to the results of an experimental investigation conducted by Prathviraj et al.
(2020), the presence of water (more than 0.06 percent w/w) results in hydrolysis and soap
production, which decreases the catalyst efficiency and makes downstream recovery
problematic. Demonstrated by Zhao et al. (2019) that even water concentrations as low as
0.1% by weight and at relatively moderate temperatures may induce saponification of ester
to occur during the alcoholysis of oil, resulting in a reduction in the conversion of
triglycerides.
Figure 4: Differentiate colour of water content in oil, 1) Crude WCO 2) Clean crude WCO 3)
fresh WCO (after heated)
CATALYST EFFECT
The quantity and type of catalyst used in the transesterification reaction process are
two of the most critical elements to consider. Homogeneous, heterogeneous, and biocatalyst
catalysts may all be divided into three distinct groups: When compared to biocatalysts, the
short reaction time and cheap cost of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts have
drawn the most attention in industrial practise, Kumar et al. (2021). Meanwhile, alkali and
acid catalysts make up the majority of the heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts.
According to Shahid and Jamal (2011), different types of catalysts (alkali, acid or enzyme)
have been used depending on what kind of raw feedstock in determining the outcome of
biodiesel production. The biodiesel synthesis process relies heavily on the kind of catalyst
used. Catalysts are primarily used to speed up the rate of reaction in order to provide better
quality, a greater yield, and more profit. Table 1 compares homogeneous and
heterogeneous alkali catalysts, as well as their benefits and drawbacks, Leung et al. (2010).
According to table 1, catalysts from heterogeneous alkali are more ecologically friendly and
less pollution, which are being discussed depth in the next section.
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the optimum conversion (98%). Meanwhile, after 1.5 hours of calcination at 900 °C for
crushed limestone, researchers from Kouzu et al. (2008) discovered the ideal reaction
conditions for the production of a CaO catalyst.
REACTION TIME
Higher biodiesel conversion is possible when the correct reaction time and
temperature are used. Initially, Meher et al. (2006) found that the first rate of reaction was
sluggish because of the mixing and dispersion of alcohol into the oil system during the first
minute. Even at room temperature, given enough time, the reaction progressed fairly quickly
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until maximum yield was achieved, depending on the oil, alcohol, and catalyst utilised. As
found by Leung et al. (2010), transesterification in reverse reduces the product yield (loss of
methyl esters) and also causes more fatty acids to be created. At a reaction time of 120
minutes, the production of biodiesel achieves maximal conversion using the standard
technique and then stays steady as the reaction time increases. Using microwaves, El
Sherbiny et al. (2010) found that reaction time was lowered from 90 minutes to 2-10 minutes
instead of 150 minutes (90 minutes for pre-treatment and 60 minutes for transesterification).
The utilisation of high FFA content feedstock’s, such as jatropha oil (Yaakob et al. 2008) and
rubber seed oil (Ramadhas et al. 2005), is also possible using microwave technology.
However, the microwave-aided reactor's production might be harmed without an appropriate
control mechanism.
REACTION TEMPERATURE
Increasing the temperature of the reaction has a significant effect on how quickly
transesterification may proceed. Higher temperatures are often used to carry out the higher
conversion transesterification process (closer to the alcohol boiling point). Hence, more
energy is required to produce a product at a higher reaction temperature, which raises the
price. According to Sharma and Singh (2009), the typical operating temperature is between
28 and 65 degrees Celsius. At temperatures of 23 °C and 60 °C, the reaction rates of
transesterification of soybeans with methanol and NaOH were compared by Haas et al.
(2004). Methyl esters were produced in substantial concentrations at both temperatures,
although a greater molar ratio of methanol was needed at 23 °C than at 60 °C. As stated by
Murugesan et al. (2009), the maximum production of esters occurs at temperatures ranging
from 60 to 80 °C when the alcohol to oil molar ratio is 6:1. At temperatures ranging from 25
to 85 degrees Celsius, Gerpen et al. (2004) investigated transesterification, whereas Koh
and Mohd. Ghazi (2011) claim that the reaction takes place between 60 and 70 degrees
Celsius. For transesterification at ambient pressure, researchers typically use 40 to 80 °C,
but this temperature range may be increased to 200 to 300 °C in pressurised systems.
Rapeseed and palm oil transesterification was explored by Biktashev et al. (2011) in
supercritical methanol and alcohol at temperatures ranging from 300 to 350°C and pressures
between 20 and 30 MPa. In comparison to the supercritical approach, the biodiesel
conversion at the same temperature was 96 percent for ethanol and 100 percent for
methanol. Oil, alcohol, and catalysts all have a role in determining the optimal heating
temperature. Even while higher temperatures increase the conversion yields of methyl
esters, they also intensify the saponification process, resulting in lower conversion yields.
The boiling point of the alcohol is a major factor in determining the ideal reaction
temperature. At 64.7 °C, the boiling point of methanol was reached, so methanol evaporated
above this degree. Catalytic transesterification may also speed up the saponification of
glycerine. Because the optimal reaction temperature is between 60 and 65 degrees Celsius,
there is no need for pressured reaction equipment.
CONCLUSION
The present review shows that waste cooking oil is a lower feedstock cost 83.3%
within current prices of virgin oil in market but needs pre-treatment since it has high FFA
value and H2O content. Therefore, the review study can be concluded that the range 0.5 to
3 % of Free Fatty Acid and non/zero H 2O content of feedstock are the most important to
ensure higher conversion biodiesel using single step transesterification methods. Moreover,
Malaysia is moving forward to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) impact of 17
interlinked global goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable
future for all".
Collaboration with public–private partnership and giving incentive-based collection,
and policy implementation significantly encourage people to remove various barriers and
awareness of waste cooking oil, thus Malaysia achieved the agenda for sustainable
development in 2030. The collection mechanism models of use cooking oil need to look over
critically and design for easy way people throw and minimize the hazard regarding the oil
waste in future.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors want to say thank you to their colleagues for their help and to the
administration of Polytechnic Tun Syed Nasir Syed Ismail for giving us the space and
resources we needed to do this study.
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