| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 772353 | Energy Conversion and Management | 2011 | 4 Pages |
Adsorbed crude palm oil on spent bleaching clay (SBC) was in situ transesterified to methyl esters (biodiesel) by the aid of ultrasound and organic co-solvents (petroleum ether (PE) or ethyl methyl ketone (EMK)). The SBC under study was found to contain 24.2–27.0% of crude oil with free fatty acids (FFA) of 3.01% and moisture content of 0.29%. The optimized reaction conditions were as follows: methanol to oil molar ratio of 150:1; catalyst (KOH), 20%; reaction temperature, 60 ± 2 °C; reaction time, 2 h. Using PE as a co-solvent, highest conversion of 75.2% was achieved while 60% was recorded with EMK.
Research highlights► Crude palm oil adsorbed on spent bleaching clay converted to biodiesel. ► Ultrasound dislodges adsorbed oil from spent bleaching clay into reaction mixture. ► Co-solvents promotes miscibility of the reactants.
