| dc.description.abstract |
Biodiesel is a renewable, biodegradable and
environmentally friendly fuel which has the highest potential to
replace petrodiesel. In Kenya, Croton megalocarpus oil has been
shown to be a viable source of non-edible feed to produce biodiesel.
Biodiesel is produced by transesterification of oil with an alcohol in
the presence of a catalyst. Microwave irradiation is a superior heating
mode as compared to conventional heating. Optimization studies for
the transesterification of Croton megalocarpus oil employing
homogeneous NaOH catalyst were carried out by conventional
heating and microwave irradiation. Box Wilson Central Composite
Design was used to optimize process variables of methanol-to-oil
ratio, catalyst concentration, reaction temperature for the case of
conventional heating; and methanol-to-oil ratio, catalyst
concentration, reaction time for microwave irradiation. The yield of
fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) was correlated as a function of the
reaction variables in form of a quadratic equation. The correlation
was plotted in response surface and contour plots to indicate the
effect of operation variables and to identify areas of optimal yield.
Croton oil was characterized by standard methods. Gas
chromatography was used to obtain FAME yield. FAME was
analyzed for properties as a biodiesel fuel and it satisfied the
international standards. |
en_US |