Sludge palm oil as a renewable raw material for biodiesel production by two-step processes

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 101; no. 20; pp. 7804 - 7811
• Main Authors: Hayyan, Adeeb, Alam, Md. Zahangir, Mirghani, Mohamed E.S., Kabbashi, Nassereldeen A., Hakimi, Noor Irma Nazashida Mohd, Siran, Yosri Mohd, Tahiruddin, Shawaluddin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2010; [New York, NY]: Elsevier Ltd; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Biodiesel; Biofuel production; Biofuels; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Catalysis; Energy; Esterification; Exact sciences and technology; Fatty Acids - metabolism; Free fatty acid; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Kinetics; Palm Oil; Plant Oils; Pollution; Sewage; Sludge palm oil; Toluene-4-sulfonic monohydrate acid; Transesterification; Wastes; Free fatty acid; Transesterification; Sludge palm oil; Toluene-4-sulfonic monohydrate acid; Biodiesel; Palm oil; Toluene; Raw materials; Wastes
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.05.045

In this study, biodiesel was produced from sludge palm oil (SPO) using tolune-4-sulfonic monohydrate acid (PTSA) as an acid catalyst in different dosages in the presence of methanol to convert free fatty acid (FFA) to fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), followed by a transesterification process using an alkaline catalyst. In the first step, acid catalyzed esterification reduced the high FFA content of SPO to less than 2% with the different dosages of PTSA. The optimum conditions for pretreatment process by esterification were 0.75% (w/w) dosage of PTSA to SPO, 10:1 M ratio, 60 °C temperature, 60 min reaction time and 400 rpm stirrer speed. The highest yield of biodiesel after transesterification and purification processes was 76.62% with 0.07% FFA and 96% ester content. The biodiesel produced was favorable as compared to EN 14214 and ASTM 6751 standard. This study shows a potential exploitation of SPO as a new feedstock for the production of biodiesel.