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Industrial Chemistry | ISSN: 2469-9764 | Volume 4
17
th
International Conference on
May 21-22, 2018 | New York, USA
Industrial Chemistry and Water Treatment
Ind Chem 2018, Volume 4
DOI: 10.4172/2469-9764-C1-009
Statistical approach to the optimization of biodiesel production from
Jatropha curcas
oil
Chihurumnanya Ola Oji
Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Nigeria
J
atropha curcas
oil (JCO) is a plant-based non-edible feed stock that can be modified in order to enhance its use as biodiesel.
In this work, optimization of biodiesel production from Jatropha curcas oil was investigated. Biodiesel was produced via
a bath catalyzed transesterification reaction of the oil with methanol. This process was optimized by the application of two-
level-four factor (2
4
) Factorial design and response surface methodology (RSM) requiring 16 experiments. A linear model of
the form y=84.86+4.98x1 – 3.50x2 – 2.50x3+3.10x4+5.13x1x2 – 0.71x1x4+3.02x2x3+0.13x2x4 – 2.31x1x2x4 was obtained
to predict the yield of biodiesel (y) as a function of reaction time (x1), Natt catalyst concentration (x2), methanol to oil ratio
(x3) and temperature (x4). A modified statistical model comprising of all significant factors obtained by multiple regression
predicted that the highest yield of the JCO based biodiesel was 94.03% at the following optimization rules x1=2.50 hrs, x2=1.1;
x3=3.1 and x4=70°C. Also, there was significant interaction between x1x2, x2x3 and x2x4. Gas chromatographic analysis of the
JCO biodiesel identified myristate and palmitoleate as the major fatty and ethyl esters. The model has been found to describe
the experimental range studied adequately.
emeaoji@gmail.com