Affiliation:
1. Chemical Engineering Department, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001, South Africa
2. Institute of Systems Science, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001, South Africa
Abstract
Biomass diesel is one of the sustainable and renewable sources of energy envisaged to hold a prominent position in the world energy infrastructure. In this study, biodiesel was produced from baobab seed oil by transesterification using biogenic heterogeneous catalyst, derived from mixed wastes of white chicken eggshells and banana fruit peels. The production process was statistically analyzed using Box-Behnken Design-Response Surface Methodology (BBD-RSM). The influential transesterification reaction parameters investigated with their ranges include reaction time (40–80 min), molar ratio of oil to methanol (1:9–1:15) and catalyst weight (3–5 wt%). The nano-catalyst (CaO-BFP-850 NPs) was prepared by calcination at high temperature of 850 °C for 4 h, and its properties were found to contain majorly the basic elements of Ca and K when investigated with analytical instruments such as SEM, EDS, DSC-TGA, FT-IR, and XRD. The regeneration test of the CaO-BFP-850 NPs conducted showed it could be reused for more than four cycles with less catalytic efficiency reduction. The ideal conditions instituted by BBD-RSM was 75 min of reaction time, 12.8:1 molar ratio of oil to methanol, and 4.08 wt% CaO-BFP-850 at 65 °C and 650 rpm constant temperature and agitation speed respectively, with the validated biodiesel yield of 96.70 wt%. The assessment of the quality of the biodiesel produced showed compliance with the standard specifications of ASTM D6751, EN 14241, and SANS 833.