Optimization study on the thermal decarboxylation of coconut oil using bentonite as catalyst

Date

6-2016

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

College

College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology (CEAT)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Jewel A. Capunitan

Restrictions

Restricted: Not available to the general public. Access is available only after consultation with author/thesis adviser and only to those bound by the confidentiality agreement.

Abstract

Thermal decarboxylation of coconut oil was studied by using bentonite as the catalyst. The reaction was done using kerosene as a solvent and a catalyst loading of 0.99% at 200 rpm for three hours. Central composite design was done to determine the optimum values of the temperature and solvent concentration. High values employed were 220°C and 86.81% solvent concentration. Coconut oil conversion was considered as a response for this study and was determined using thin layer chromatography. Increasing the temperature improved oil conversion because of the increase in contact between the oil and catalyst, and the increase in acidity of bentonite. However, at temperatures above 210.1 °C, decreased oil conversion can be attributed to the deactivation of the catalyst. On the other hand, increasing solvent concentration promotes miscibility which increases the rate of reaction. However, for >77.41% solvent concentration, the decrease in conversion may be due to the presence of aromatic compounds in the kerosene which may compete with the catalyst's active sites. Upon validation, a conversion of (51.84 ± 1.06) %, was obtained providing that 210.1 °C and 77.41% solvent concentration are the optimum settings for the thermal decarboxylation of coconut oil using bentonite.

Language

English

Location

UPLB College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology (CEAT)

Call Number

LG 993.5 2016 E62 /T37

Document Type

Thesis

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