Biofuel Synthesis by Jatropha Oil Cracking using Solid Acid Catalyst (original) (raw)

Catalytic Cracking of Vegetable Oils for Producing Biofuel

2017

cracked using three types of catalysts being zinc chloride, sodium carbonate and calcium oxide and the products of cracking were tested for their chemical and physical properties relevant to their use as fuels. Products obtained by cracking castor oil were found to be more suitable as bio-kerosene while those obtained by catalytic cracking of used cooking oil were more suitable as biodiesel. Therefore, the product obtained by catalytic cracking of used cooking oil has been then tested for its effect on the performance of a diesel engine compared to regular diesel fuel. Blends of catalytically cracked used cooking oil with regular diesel fuel were used for running the engine at different engine loading and the specific fuel consumption as well as the exhaust temperature had been determined at each load. The results have shown that blending of regular diesel fuel with catalytically cracked oil resulted in a reduction in the thermal efficiency compared to that if the engine was run usi...

Catalytic cracking of vegetable oil with metal oxides for biofuel production

This study presents the utilization of metal oxides for the biofuel production from vegetable oil. The physical and chemical properties of the diesel-like products obtained, and the influence of reaction variables on the product distribution were investigated. Six different metal oxides (Co 3 O 4 , KOH, MoO 3 , NiO, V 2 O 5 , and ZnO) were employed as catalysts and the results indicated that the metal oxides are suitable for catalyzing the conversion of oil into organic liquid products (OLPs). The maximum conversion (87.6%) was obtained with V 2 O 5 at 320 °C in 40 min whereas a minimum conversion (55.1%) was obtained with MoO 3 at 390 °C in 30 min. The physical characteristics of the product obtained (density, specific gravity, higher heat value, flash point and kinematic viscosity), were in line with ASTM D6751 (B100) standards. The hydrocarbons majorly present in the product were found to be methyl and ethyl esters. Furthermore, OLPs obtained were distilled and separated into four components. The amount of light hydrocarbons, gasoline, kerosene and heavy oil like components obtained were 18.73%, 33.62%, 24.91% and 90.93%, respectively.

Biofuel production by catalytic cracking of sunflower oil using vanadium pentoxide

This study presents the kinetic aspects of organic liquid products (OLP) synthesis from sunflower oil by catalytic cracking. A three-lump reaction kinetic model and Arrhenius equation were used to estimate the reaction constants and activation energy values. The effect temperature and catalyst concentration on % conversion and product distribution were analyzed. The maximum OLP formation (92.1%) was obtained at 628 K with 1.5 wt.% catalyst in 40 min. The data predicted by 3-lump kinetic model were well consistent with the experimental values. The smaller value of reaction constant obtained for the conversion of OLP into gas and coke indicates the presence of little secondary reactions. The lower activation energy required to convert the oil into OLP implied the selectivity of the catalyst towards OLP formation. The measured physical properties of the OLP were within/close to the required limits of ASTM D6751 (B100) specifications. FTIR and GC–MS analysis identified aliphatic ester and their derivatives as major constituents of the OLP. Variations in the fractional distillates of OLP indicate the influence of reaction conditions not only on % conversion but also on product distribution.