UTILIZATION OF POTASSIUM CARBONATE-BASED DEEP EUTECTIC SOLVENTS AS CATALYST IN TRANSESTERIFICATION REACTION OF JATROPHA CURCAS OIL

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Department of Engineering

ABSTRACT
Deep eutectic solvents (DES) were synthesized from different mole ratios of K2CO3/glycerol at 400 rpm and 353 K for a period of 2 hours toform a homogenous transparent colorless liquid. ThreeDES were successfully formed at the ratio 1:20, 1:30 and 1:40. The DES synthesized were used as catalyst in transesterification reactionof Jatrophacurcasoil with time varied from 30 to 120 minutes, concentration of DES varied from 8 to 10% w/w, stirred at 300 rpm with a magnetic stirrer hot plate and at a temperature of 600C. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box–Behnken Design (BBD) was employed to examine the major reaction parameters (such as K2CO3/Glycerol ratio, catalyst (DES) concentration and reaction time), and to optimize the reaction conditions for achieving the maximum yield of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). Design Expert 6.06 software was used in the regression and graphical analyses of data. The statistical analysis of the model was performed to evaluate the analysis of variance (ANOVA). Maximum FAME yield of 98.2845% was achieved at optimum conditions of 1:32.58 mole ratio of K2CO3/glycerol, 8.96% w/w concentration of DES and 69.58min. GC-MS analysis revealed that the biodiesel contains 98.87% ester content and 1.13% non-ester composition. The properties of Jatrophacurcasoil biodiesel produced were characterized and found to agree with the ASTM D6751-12 standard.