Effect of methanol purity on biodiesel production from lauric acid using esterification reaction

Abstract

Abstract Indonesia is a leading country in agriculture, thus opening up great opportunities for the development of biodiesel. However, the main challenge is ensuring the sustainable acquisition of feedstock, including using methanol as a reactant to manufacture biodiesel. Making biodiesel using lower-purity methanol is possible. This study aims to compare the effect of methanol purity on biodiesel manufacturing. This research uses esterification reactions to manufacture biodiesel from lauric acid and methanol. The catalyst used is an amberlyst catalyst. A design was applied using catalyst amounts of 5% to 20% and variations in the purity of methanol from 95% to 99%. The best esterification reaction conditions are obtained at 99% methanol purity and 20% catalyst amount, which is 98.9%. In contrast, there is no significant difference in results for the flash point obtained, and the results obtained have met the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).