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Transesterification reaction kinetics of jatropha oil for biodiesel production
(2011) Okullo, A.; Temu, A. K.; Ntalikwa, J. W.
Biodiesel, defined as the monoalkyl esters of vegetable oils and animal fats, is becoming prominent among alternatives to conventional petro-diesel due to economic, environmental and social factors. Transesterification is the most preferred method of biodiesel production. Knowledge of transesterification reaction kinetic enables prediction of the extent of the chemical reaction (or the conversion) at any time under particular conditions. It is also essential in the optimization of operating conditions in industrial applications and in the design of reactors for biodiesel production. In this study, transesterification of jatropha oil with methanol was carried out in a well mixed reactor at different agitation speeds (600-900 rpm) and temperatures (35-65 oC) using sodium hydroxide as a catalyst. The methanol to oil molar ratio of 6:1 was used and catalyst loading was 0.5% weight of oil. Mass transfer controlled state was assumed to be minimal using the above agitation speeds. A second order kinetic model was used to determine the reaction rate constants. The goodness of fit predicting the moles of methyl ester in the reaction products was determined by correlation coefficient (R2) and least square curve fit. The forward reactions were the most important as revealed by the rate constants.