Production and Characterization of Biodiesel from Avocado Peel Oils using Experimental Analysis (ANOVA)

Abstract

The crisis of energy due to the increasing awareness of the depletion of fossil fuel resources, biodiesel is an alternative energy source and promising potential energy that grows rapidly, due to its high contribution to the environment friendly, renewable, non-toxicity, biodegradability, essentially sulfur-free, and as a strategical source of renewable energy in substitution to diesel oil and contributes a minimal amount of net greenhouse gases. In this study, the extracted oil used for biodiesel production from waste avocado peel was investigated in a laboratory approach. Experimental results evaluate the major optimum process parameters for base-catalyzed transesterification on biodiesel yield as well as its properties. The most important variables affecting methyl ester yield during the transesterification reaction are the molar ratio of alcohol to oil and the reaction temperature. A 95.2% FAME conversion was obtained using a methanol/oil ratio of 6:1, 1.21g NaOH, reaction time 67.5 min, and 60 0C reaction temperature. Important properties of (characterization) produced biodiesel are, (pHof 7.8, specific gravity of 0.88, density at 15 0C, kg/m3, the kinematic viscosity of biodiesel was found to be 4.22 m 2·s −1 at 40 0C, the flashpoint was 161 0C and Cetane number of 49 are well-matched the relevant international standards for biodiesel quality produced.  This result shows that the oil obtained from avocado peel can be used for biodiesel production as an alternative fuel as compared to those of ASTM and EN standards.