Biodiesel production from recycled grease trap waste: a case study in South Australia. Part 2: optimization of the transesterification process

dc.contributor.authorTran, N.
dc.contributor.authorMcMurchie, E.
dc.contributor.authorNgothai, Y.
dc.date.issued2018
dc.description.abstractThis study aimed to investigate the conversion of the pre‐treated oil, which was originally extracted from grease trap waste (GTW), to biodiesel via a transesterification reaction. The pre‐treated oil, which consists of approximately 80% free fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) and 18% of glycerides, was obtained through the esterification of GTW reported in a previous study. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on Central Composite Design (CCD) was applied to determine the optimum conditions for the transesterification reaction through four process variables, these being: the molar ratio of ethanol to oil, reaction time, reaction temperature, and base catalyst loading. A set of 30 experiments were conducted in duplicate to study the interactive effects of the above parameters on the ester yield. A maximum ester yield of 96.7% was obtained at the optimum conditions, which were: 4:1 ethanol to oil molar ratio, 1 hr reaction time, 65 °C reaction temperature, and 1 wt% KOH loading per oil weight. In order to reduce the excess ethanol used, a modification was applied to the experimental design of the transesterification reaction, resulting in a 30% reduction in ethanol used, while the same ester yield could be obtained.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityNghiep N. Tran, Edward J. McMurchie and Yung Ngothai
dc.identifier.citationChemistrySelect, 2018; 3(13):3626-3631
dc.identifier.doi10.1002/slct.201800064
dc.identifier.issn2365-6549
dc.identifier.issn2365-6549
dc.identifier.orcidTran, N. [0000-0001-7199-7299]
dc.identifier.orcidNgothai, Y. [0000-0002-0199-4225]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/119164
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherWiley
dc.rights© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1002/slct.201800064
dc.subjectBiodiesel; ethanol; grease trap waste; response surface methods; transesterification
dc.titleBiodiesel production from recycled grease trap waste: a case study in South Australia. Part 2: optimization of the transesterification process
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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