BIODIESEL PRODUCTION USING WASTE COOKING OIL

Abstract

In this study, a domestic blender was used as the reactor to synthesize biodiesel from Used Cooking Oil (UCO). The transesterification process involved 1 litre of UCO, 250g of methanol, 6.5g of NaOH at a reaction temperature of 65⁰C and reaction time of 20 minutes and the process was catalysed by alkali base. The process was triplicated and average results evaluated. A high yield of 93.71% of UCO methyl ester (UCOME) was obtained after it was washed and dried. The UCOME produced was blended with petroleum in the following percentage by volume of the UCOME; 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30% corresponding to B5, B10, B20, and B30 respectively. The fuel properties of UCOME and its blends were measured and found to satisfy both ASTMD6751 and EN14214 Standards for biodiesel fuel, and other reported works from different authors. From the biodiesel blends obtained, B30 and B20 proved to be more efficient compared to other blends due to their satisfactory properties such as their densities (0.847 and 0.846) g/cm³ respectively and flash point of 145⁰C and 136⁰C respectively.