Date

4-2009

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

College

College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology (CEAT)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Rex B. Demafelis

Co-adviser

Laura J. Pham

Committee Member

Butch G. Battaler, Myra G. Borines

Abstract

The optimization and kinetic study on the production of methyl ester from potassium hydroxide catalyzed transesterification of Jatropha curcas L. oil was investigated aiming for optimum temperature, methanol to oil molar ratio, KOH to oil molar ratio, and the reaction time required to obtain maximum % conversion and 96.5% purity. Moreover, kinetic parameters like reaction order and constant were also determined for the transesterification. Optimization of the transesterification is done using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with the aid of Design Expert 7 computer software. Analyzing the responses, % conversion and purity, revealed 34 possible optimum conditions. Manual selection of the optimum points was conducted favoring 32°C: 8:0.3: 1hr and 33.58°C: 7.43:0.31:1.29hr. Verification experiment was carried out resulting to 32°C: 8:0.3:1 hr as the optimum point point was then used for the kinetic study resulting to the determination of kinetic parameters via integral method of analysis. The results revealed that the rate order and constant of the production of methyl ester from potassium hydroxide catalyzed transesterification of Jatropha curcas L. oil is 1.5 and 0.27 min⁻¹ weight % ⁻⁰⁻⁵ respectively.

Language

English

LC Subject

Jatropha, Biofuels, Chemical kinetics

Call Number

LG 993 2009 E62 E88

Document Type

Thesis

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