Effect of Cocoa Ash methoxide and sodium methoxide on the yield of biodiesel from used vegetable oil

Abstract

Today’s diesel engines require a clean-burning stable fuel that performs well under a variety of operating conditions. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that can be used directly isn any existing, unmodified dieselengine. Because it has similar properties to petro-diesel fuel, biodiesel can be blended in any ratio with petroleum diesel fuel. Many federal and state fleet vehicles in USA are already using biodiesel blends in their diesel engines. Biodiesel is produced through a process known as transesterification, this can be acid catalyzed or alkali catalyzed. This is a chemical process where by an ester is reacted with an alcohol to form another ester and alcohol. Ash-derived alkalis offer cheap alternatives to imported ones. Agricultural waste materials contain a good percentage of potash. These materials include palm bunch, waste cocoa pod, plantain peels, biomass leaves, maize cob, waste wood beet and many others. When these materials are burnt in water yield the corresponding hydroxide. The paper compares the yield of biodiesel from two streams, one from sodium methoside while the other was cocoa pod ash. The cocoa pod ash has the highest yield of 17.33% for 40g of ash (equivalent to 2mls of 0.812M of crude Potassium Methoxide).while the lest was 1.6% for 10g of ash (equivalent to 2.5mls of 0.203M crude Potassium Methoxide). The yield the biodiesel did not follow either an arithmetic or geometric order along the column or across row. Each concentration in terms of mass of ash and volumn of methoxide is unique with that particular concentration under consideration. Similarly, Sodium Methoxide has the highest yield of 14.48% for 4.5mls of 0.2M of Sodium Methoxide while the least yield was 1.3% for 0.1M of 5mls SodiumMrthoxide. And concentration of Sodium Methoxide from 0.4M and above did not give any biodiesel. While the yield of biodiesel along the column and across the row did not follow an arithmetic or geometric order. Lastly, it could be seen that the yield of Cocoa pod is higher than of sodium hydroxide.