SYNTHESIS OF FATTY ACIDS METHYL ESTERS FROM USED VEGETABLE OIL USING ACTIVATED ANTHILL AS CATALYST

Authors

  • EO Babatunde CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN, ILORIN, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA
  • HB Saka CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN, ILORIN, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA
  • MA Olutoye CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPT., FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, MINNA, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA
  • UG Akpan CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPT., FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, MINNA, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA
  • M Auta CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPT., FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, MINNA, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Keywords:

Anthills, FAME, Central composite design, Heterogeneous, used vegetable oil.

Abstract

In this present study transesterification of used vegetable oil (UVO) using synthesized activated anthill as catalyst was investigated. The catalyst was prepared via calcination process, characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques. From the BET analysis; calcination temperature has a positive impact on the textural properties. The XRD shows that the catalyst is crystalline in nature. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) was produced using thermally activated anthill as catalyst. The optimal FAME yield of 94.85 % was obtained at Methanol/Oil (M/O) 9:1, catalyst loading 1.5 wt%, reaction temperature of  65  and reaction time of 2 h. The physico-chemical properties of UVO – FAME produced was found to be within the American Society for Testing and Methods (ASTM). Hence, the study reveals that used vegetable oil catalyzed by novel activated anthill could be an effective feedstock to produce sustainable energy.

http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v39i1.15

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Published

2020-01-03

Issue

Section

Chemical, Industrial, Materials, Mechanical, Metallurgical, Petroleum & Production Engineering

How to Cite

SYNTHESIS OF FATTY ACIDS METHYL ESTERS FROM USED VEGETABLE OIL USING ACTIVATED ANTHILL AS CATALYST. (2020). Nigerian Journal of Technology, 39(1), 140-147. https://nijotech.com/index.php/nijotech/article/view/2229