INVESTIGATION ON BIOFUEL PRODUCTION USING TWO BASE CATALYSTS

This research is concerned with the conversion of the waste palm oil and jatropha oil to fatty acid methyl esters (biodiesel)by method of trans-esterification with methanol in the presence of sodium hydroxideor potassium hydroxide catalyst (and their combination in varied proportions). For reaction time of 90minutes at a reaction temperature of 60?C and catalyst weight of 1gram, it was observed that maximum yield of 94.8% and 92.6% were obtained from palm oil and jatropha oil at a methanol to oil moleratio of 10:1. All biodiesel samples were tested according to ASTM B100 standards to ascertain their properties as commercially usable biodiesel, and all samples were found to comply with the standards.