See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/272629372

Production of Bio-Diesel from Palm Kernel Oil and Groundnut Oil

Article in Advanced Materials Research · October 2011

DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.367.501

CITATIONS READS

19 6,770

3 authors:

S. J. Ojolo Adekunle Omolade Adelaja

University of Lagos University of Lagos
108 PUBLICATIONS 1,173 CITATIONS 80 PUBLICATIONS 557 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Gbeminiyi Sobamowo
University of Lagos
351 PUBLICATIONS 1,695 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by S. J. Ojolo on 28 April 2015.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Advanced Materials Research Vol. 367 (2012) pp 501-506
© (2012) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland
doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.367.501

Production of Bio-Diesel from Palm Kernel Oil and Groundnut Oil

S.J. Ojolo1,a, A.O. Adelaja2,b and G.M. Sobamowo3,c
1,2,3
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos,Nigeria.
E-mail: [email protected] (Corresponding Author), [email protected],
c
[email protected]

Keywords: Bio-diesel, Groundnut oil, Palm kernel oil, Production

Abstract: The need for renewable and environmentally friendlier energy sources has led to
intensified efforts with respect to research in that area. One of such endeavours is the production of
biofuels from various sources of vegetable oils. Therefore, this work is aimed at producing biodiesel
from freshly prepared and clean palm kernel oil and groundnut oil making use of methanol and
sodium hydroxide pellets in a base -catalysed trans-esterification reaction. 185g groundnut oil and
187g palm kernel was trans-esterified with 37g of methanol and 0.7g of NaOH pellets at 550C
operating temperature. The result gave a percentage conversion of 91.98% for groundnut oil
feedstock and 16.18g of glycerol (i.e. soap) as bye product, while palm kernel oil feedstock gave a
yield of 90.53% conversion and 15.20g of glycerol. The biodiesel retained the physical properties of
the oil such as smell and colour. The density of the biodiesel from groundnut oil was found to be
850.80kg/m3 while that of palm kernel oil gave 848.0kg/m3. The kinematic and dynamic viscosities
of groundnut oil bio-diesel were obtained to be 15.9mm2/s and 13.5 x 10-3kgm-1s-1 while that of
palm kernel gave 7.65mm2/s and 6.49 x 10-3kgm-1s-1 respectively.

Introduction
Majority of the world’s energy needs is supplied through petrochemical sources, coal and natural
gases, with the exception of hydroelectricity and nuclear energy, are finite and at current usage rates
will be consumed shortly [1]. The high energy demand in the industrialized world as well as in the
domestic sector and pollution problems caused due to the widespread use of fossil fuels make it
increasingly necessary to develop the renewable energy sources of limitless duration and smaller
environmental impact than the traditional one. This has stimulated recent interest in alternative
sources for petroleum-based fuels. One possible alternative to fossil fuel is the use of oils of plant
origin like vegetable oils and tree borne oil seeds. This alternative diesel fuel can be termed as
biodiesel. Biodiesel can be produced from vegetable oils or animal fats via a trans-esterification
reaction. Biodiesel is a promising source of energy. It is a renewable and biodegradable diesel fuel
with less harmful emissions than petroleum-based diesel fuel [2].

Chemically, the oils/fats consist of triglyceride molecules of three long chain fatty acids that are
ester bonded to a single glycerol molecule. These fatty acids differ from the length of carbon chains,
the number, orientation and position of double bonds in these chains. Alkaline catalysts such as
NaOH and KOH are the most commonly used in trans-esterification since their reaction is much
faster than an acid-catalyzed reaction. However, if high free fatty acid (FFA) feedstock such as
fryer grease is used, the reaction is then partially driven to saponification which partially consumes
catalysts and creates soap. Soap resulting from saponification creates difficulty in separating the by-
product, glycerol, from biodiesel, which ultimately reduces the ester yield. Although acid-catalyzed
trans-esterification does not encounter this problem, it requires a longer reaction time, higher
reaction temperature, and a corrosion-tolerant reactor. The use of a two-step acid/alkaline catalyzed
trans-esterification could be more suitable to produce biodiesel from high FFA feedstock such as
fryer grease [3].

Alcohols used in trans-esterification are those of short chain carbon. The most popular one is
methanol mainly because it is an economical source of alcohol. Also, the reaction can proceed
faster when methanol is used due to its superior reactivity [4]. However, solubility of oils in

All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of TTP,
www.ttp.net. (ID: 41.155.84.100-29/09/11,23:02:10)
502 Advances in Materials and Systems Technologies III

methanol is low; therefore trans-esterification is limited by mass transfer. Ethanol, on the other
hand, possesses higher solubility and reduces the effect of the mass transfer limitation. The
disadvantage of using ethanol involves the strong emulsion formed during trans-esterification which
causes difficulty in the glycerol separation process. The mixture of methanol and ethanol are
expected to perform better than either one due to the reasons mentioned above.

This main objective of this work is to produce biodiesel from palm kernel oil and ground nut oil and
to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of the biodiesel produced.

Materials and Methods

Materials Preparation: Reactants for the experiment included liquid methanol, caustic soda
(NaOH) and two different oils namely: palm kernel oil and ground nut oil. Two litres of ground nut
oil were purchased from a market in Lagos, while two liters of palm kernel oil were bought from a
palm produce processing firm at Ota Ogun State. Caustic soda was stored in an air tight polythene
bag to prevent it from absorbing moisture from the atmosphere and methanol was stored in an
airtight plastic container to prevent evaporation as methanol is a volatile liquid.

Experimental Procedure: Test batch - 200ml of groundnut oil and 40 ml of methanol (i.e 20% by
volume of oil) were utilized in the test batch production. 200 ml of groundnut oil was pre-heated to
a steady temperature of 60oC using a magnetic heater/stirrer. With the aid of the measuring cylinder
40 ml of methanol was measured and poured into the beaker. 0.7g of NaOH pellet was measured
using the weighing balance and added to the methanol. The content of the beaker was stirred
vigorously using the second magnetic stirrer until the NaOH was completely dissolved in the
methanol. The mixture formed is called sodium Methoxide. The Methoxide was poured into the
conical flask containing the preheated oil. The content of the conical flask was stirred with the
magnetic stirrer at a steady speed and temperature of 55oC. Then heating and stirring was stopped
after 2 hours and the product was poured into a separating funnel mounted on a clamp stand. The
mixture was allowed to settle down from 4:25pm to 10:10 am the following morning. The
separating funnel was opened at the bottom allowing the glycerin at the bottom to be run off after
which the biodiesel was collected in a beaker after which it was poured into a container for storage.

Final production batch: The test batch just described above was performed in order to have a first-
hand experience of the reaction methodology and its attendant products. It serves as a means of
ensuring that the end products can be successfully obtained from the reactants. Based on the
successful results obtained from the test batch reaction, the final production batch was carried out
using the same volume and/or mass of reactants and the separation of the products was carried out
as already described for the test batch production. The procedure was replicated three times and
average biodiesel yield as well as glycerol yield was measured. The steps described above i.e. the
test and final production batches were repeated for palm kernel oil. The schematic diagram of the
experimental set-up is shown in Figure 1.
 Advanced Materials Research Vol. 367 503

Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the unit for biodiesel production

Results
The results obtained from the trans-esterification experiments are presented in Tables 1-3.

Table 1 Results for the groundnut oil trans-esterification experiment

Experimental conditions 1st Run 2nd Run 3rd Run Average
Reaction Temperature (oC) 55 55 55 55
Reaction time (min) 120 120 120 120
Groundnut oil quantity (g) 185 185 185 185
Methanol Quantity (g) 37 37 37 37
NaOH Concentration (g) 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7
Biodiesel obtained (g) 170.10 169.30 171.08 170.16
Glycerol obtained (g) 16.25 15.80 16.49 16.18
Losses (g) 36.35 37.60 35.13 36.36
Biodiesel yield (%) 91.95 91.51 92.48 91.98

Table 2 Results for the PKO trans-esterification experiment

Experimental conditions 1st Run 2nd Run 3rd Run Average
o
Reaction Temperature ( C) 55 55 55 55
Reaction time (min) 120 120 120 120
PKO quantity (g) 187 187 187 187
Methanol Quantity (g) 37.4 37.4 37.4 37.4
NaOH Concentration (g) 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7
Biodiesel obtained (g) 168.45 169.20 170.25 169.30
Glycerol obtained (g) 15.27 15.18 15.15 15.20
Losses (g) 41.38 40.72 39.70 40.60
Biodiesel yield (%) 90.80 90.48 91.04 90.53

Density: The densities of the resulting biodiesel are determined as follows:

For groundnut oil biodiesel,
Volume of biodiesel used for density calculation= 200ml = 200 x 10-6 m3
Mass of empty beaker = 112.34g
Mass of beaker + Mass of biodiesel used for calculation = 282.50g
Mass of biodiesel =282.50 – 112.34 = 170.16g
504 Advances in Materials and Systems Technologies III

Therefore density of resultant biodiesel (ρ) = ratio of mass to volume of biodiesel.

Density of biodiesel = Mass = 170.16 x 10-3 = 850.8kg/m3
Volume 200 x 10-6
For PKO biodiesel,
Volume of biodiesel, used for density calculation = 200ml = 200 x 10-6m3
Mass of empty beaker = 112.34g
Mass of beaker + Mass of biodiesel used for calculation = 282.50g
Mass of biodiesel = 282.50 – 112.34 = 169.30g = 169.30 x 10-3kg
Therefore density of resultant biodiesel (ρ) = ratio of mass to volume of biodiesel.
−3
Density of biodiesel = 169.30 × 10−6 = 846.5kg / m 3
200 × 10
From calculations, density of groundnut oil biodiesel is 850.8kg/m3 while that of PKO biodiesel
gave 846.5kg/m3

Viscosity: With the aid of the viscometer, the viscosities of the bio-diesels were obtained.
For groundnut oil bio-diesel:
Kinematic Viscosity v = 15.92cSt = 0.1592St

But 104St = 1m2/s

(cSt means Centistokes while St means Stokes)
Therefore, v = 0.1592/104 = 1.592 x 10-5m2/s

Dynamic Viscosity µ = v ρ
But ρ = 850.80kg/m3
Therefore µ = 1.592 x 10-5 x 850.80 = 0.0135kgm-1s-1 = 13.5 x 10-3kgm-1s-1

For PKO biodiesel

Kinematic Viscosity v = 7.65cSt = 0.0765St
But 10-4St = 1m2/s
Therefore, V=0.0765/104 =0.765mm2/s
Dynamic Viscosity µ = v x ρ
But ρ = 848.0kkg/m3
Therefore µ = 0.765 x10-5 x 848.0 =0.00649kg/ms

Table 3 Characterization results for groundnut oil and PKO biodiesel

Fuel Characteristics Groundnut oil PKO
(properties/parameters) Biodiesel Biodiesel
Viscosity (@25oC), 15.92 7.65
(mm2/s)
Density (kg/m3) 850.8 848.0

Discussion
Trans-esterification Experiment: The process of trans-esterification gave a yield of 170.16g
groundnut oil biodiesel and 16.18g glycerol, while PKO gave 169.30g biodiesel and 15.20g
glycerol. 36.36g of the total reacting masses could not be accounted for with groundnut oil, while
that of PKO gave 40.60g. Reasons for these losses can be attributed to some alcohol and residual
catalyst and emulsion which can be removed during the washing stage of the production process.
The results stated are averages of three different experimental runs. Detailed results for each of the
experimental runs are as presented in Table 1 and Table 2
 Advanced Materials Research Vol. 367 505

Fuel Characterization: Density - The densities of the two pure oils and their biodiesel at 25oC are
presented in Table 4. Values obtained for densities of the biodiesels produced were significantly
lower than that of the source oil.

Table 4 Density of the vegetable oils and their esters

Oils Density at 25oC (kg/m3)
Pure Oil Biodiesel
Groundnut Oil 925.0 850.8
PKO 935.0 848.0

The diesel fuel (DF) has been used as reference fuel in the related studies of bio diesel ester as fuel
lubricity additive. It may be noted that the density of the diesel fuel is influenced by the original
crude oil and the refining steps to make the product. The groundnut oil biodiesel had 3.6% higher
specific gravity than the reference DF while the PKO biodiesel had 3.3%.

Values obtained for densities of the biodiesels produced are comparable with other values (shown in
Table 5) obtained from a similar experiment with various oil sources [5].

Table 5 Densities of biodiesel from various vegetable oils at 25oC

Oil Density((kg/m3)
Linseed 887
Canola 825
Sunflower 882
Rapeseed 877

Viscosity: The dynamic viscosity at 25oC of the two oils and their esters are given in Table 6 with
raw groundnut oil having viscosity of 18.75mm2/s, the groundnut oil biodiesel viscosity obtained
showed 84.9% reduction, while raw PKO which had a viscosity of 8.98mm2/s gave a reduction of
85.2%, thus improving their fluidity in diesel engine.

Table 6 Dynamic viscosity of the vegetable oils and their esters

Oils Density at 25oC (kg/m3)
Pure Oil Biodiesel
Groundnut Oil 17.3 13.5
PKO 8.42 6.49

Conclusion

In this work, Bio-Diesels were produced from Palm Kernel Oil and Groundnut Oil. The experiment
gave a percentage conversion of groundnut and palm kernel oil to biodiesel as 98% and 90.53%
respectively. The density of groundnut oil product was found to be 850.8kgm-3 while that of palm
kernel oil gave 848.0kgm-3. These values obtained are comparable with values obtained from a
similar experiment with various oil sources [5]. The kinematic and dynamic viscosities of
groundnut oil bio-diesel were obtained to be 15.9mm2/s and 13.5 x 10-3kgm-1s-1 while that of palm
kernel gave 7.65mm2/s and 6.49 x 10-3 kgm-1s-1 respectively. The resulting biodiesels retained the
small and colour of the respective original feed stock used. At 25oC, the groundnut oil and PKO
biodiesels had 84.9% and 85.2% reduction of viscosities respectively over their raw vegetable oils.

The limited fuel characterization carried out demonstrated that the groundnut oil and PKO biodiesel
produced can successfully fuel a diesel engine. Further experiments can be performed to test for the
cloud point, pour point and heating value of the biodiesels produced.
 506 Advances in Materials and Systems Technologies III

REFERENCES

[1] Srivastava A. and Prasad R. Triglycerides-based diesel fuels, Renew Sustain Energy Rev. (4)
2000, 11-33.
[2] Energy Information Administration. Annual Energy Review 2006, June 2007.
[3] Gerper, J. V, Shanks, B. and Pruzko, R, Biodiesel Production Technology, Feasibility report
small scale biodiesel production. Waste Management Research centre, 2004.
[4] Boocock, D. and Samir, K., Journal of the American Oil Chemist Society December (6) 1998,
1167-1172.
[5] Lang X., Dalai, A. K., Bakhshi, N.N., Reaney, M. J. and Hertz, P. B., Biodiesel esters as
lubricity additives: effects of process variables and evaluation of low- temperature properties,
Fuels International, 2001, 207-227.

View publication stats