Modelling and optimisation of biodiesel production using waste cooking oil using the response surface methodology
Jehad Yamin, Zayed Al-Hamamre, Arwa Sandouqa
Abstract
Modelling the effect of reaction time, catalyst concentration, and oil-tomethanol ratio on the waste cooking oil biodiesel was studied using response surface methodology.Biodiesel was made using three different heterogeneous catalysts.Analysis showed catalysts 2 and 3 to be significant in transesterification.However, all catalysts had second-degree significance for esterification yield.For catalysts 1 and 2 there was a clear interaction between catalyst concentration and oil-to-methanol ratio.Clear interaction was also noticed between reaction time and oil-to-methanol ratio for all catalysts.There was moderate to no interaction between the effects of time and catalyst concentrations for all catalysts.The best yield was found at lower oil-to-methanol ratios (nearly 0.02) and higher catalyst concentrations (at 10%).Reaction times close to 7 hours for catalyst 1 and close to 5 for the other catalysts were the optimum values for best yield and lowest acid value.