BIO DIESEL

+
INVESTIGATOR 

ON
Y PROJECT
BIO
DIESEL
ADITYA VIDYASHRAM
RESIDENTIAL SHOOL

2018-2019
SUPERVISED BY:
SUBMITTED BY:
MR. SANTHANAM
R.S.N. APPASAMY
CHEMISTRY FACULTY
XII – STD
 CONTENTS

1. Certificate
2. Acknowledgements
3. Aim
4. Introduction
5. Preparing Biodiesel
6. The Chemistry of making
Biodiesel
7. Procedure
8. Process Flow Chart
9. Conclusion
10. References

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that this project report
entitled “BIODIESEL” submitted to
CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT, ADITYA
VIDYASHRAM RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL is
a Bonafede record of work done by R.S.N.
APPASAMY under my supervision during the
academic year 2018-2019.

------------------------------
MR. SANTHANAM
(CHEMISTRY FACULTY)
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I take this opportunity to express my profound

gratitude and deep regards to my mentor

MR.SANTHANAM for his exemplary

guidance, monitoring and constant
encouragement throughout the course of this
project. The blessing, help and guidance given
by him time to time shall carry me a long way
in the journey of life on which I am about to
embark.
 AIM
To investigate the production and use of biodiesel, focusing
on the chemistry of its production, the practicality of its use at
low temperatures, the energy changes associated with its use,
and the sustainability of this energy source.

INTRODUCTION
What is Biodiesel?

Biodiesel is a diesel fuel replacement made from vegetable oil or animal fat. It is not
the same as ethanol, which is made from sugar or starch, and which is used in
engines that run on gasoline. Biodiesel is used in engines that run on diesel fuel.

Commonly used feedstock for the production of biodiesel include soybean oil,
rapeseed/canola oil, used (waste) vegetable oils, and animal fat. Warm climate tree oils
such as palm oil and jatropha are used to make biodiesel in some parts of the world.

Biodiesel is also not the same as straight vegetable oil or animal fat. A normal diesel
engine will eventually be damaged through the use of straight vegetable oil or straight
animal fat fuel. Vegetable oils or animal fats must be converted into biodiesel by reacting
the oil or fat with an alcohol in the presence of a catalyst. This process is referred to as
transesterification.

In chemical terms, biodiesel can be called fatty acid methyl esters when made with
methanol or fatty acid ethyl esters when made with ethanol. These terms are often
shortened to methyl esters and ethyl esters. Sometimes biodiesel is referred to as alkyl
esters. This is a general term that includes biodiesel made with any alcohol.
 PREPARING BIODIESEL

Principle

Vegetable oil is composed of triglycerides, which are tri‐esters of glycerol. The triglycerides
are reacted with an alcohol (methanol/ethanol). It is then deprotonated with a base (catalyst)
to make it a stronger nucleophile.

chemicals used for biodiesel production

 Methanol is the most commonly used alcohol in biodiesel production. It is the

simplest alcohol with the formula CH3OH, and is sometimes abbreviated MeOH. It
is colorless and highly volatile. It is used in the manufacture if many consumer and
industrial products and as a high octane fuel in racing engines.

Molecular Formula : CH3OH

Structural Formula :

 Glycerol, also called glycerin or glycerine, is a ubiquitous substance found in almost

all cosmetics, in many pharmaceuticals, in personal care products like shampoos,
lotions, and toothpaste, and in a lot of food items. Natural or vegetable-based glycerol
has the molecular formula C3H8O3 and forms the backbone of triglycerides (fats and
oils). Glycerol is a byproduct of biodiesel production. It is also a byproduct of the
soap-making process in which fats and oils are reacted with a strong base, forming
sodium and/or potassium soaps, and releasing the glycerol.

Molecular Formula : C3H8O3

Structural Formula :
 Fatty Acids are part of triglycerides (fats and oils). In nature, they are made up
of a chain consisting of an even number of carbons atoms from 4 to 28. Chains
with an uneven number of carbons are much less common in nature.

Fatty acids are either saturated or unsaturated. Unsaturated fatty acids have double
bonds between some of the carbons, whereas saturated fatty acids have no double
bonds. Unsaturated fatty acids are generally classified as monounsaturated (they
have one double bond), or polyunsaturated (they have two or more double bonds).

Fatty acids have a carboxyl group (COOH) at one end. It is this end that combines
with the hydroxyl group (HO-) on the glycerol molecule to form triglycerides.

Molecular Formula : CH3(CH2)xCOOH

Structural Formula :

 Triglycerides are large and heavy molecules that are made up of three fatty acids
connected to a glycerol backbone. They are commonly referred to as fats and oils,
and are among a class of molecules called esters. Triglycerides are fatty acid esters of
glycerol. The makeup of the fatty acids will vary based on the source. Animal fats
tend to be more saturated (no double bonds) while plant oils are typically more
unsaturated (having one or more double bonds).

Molecular Formula : C55H98O6

Structural Formula :
 Esters are a class of compounds derived from the reaction of an acid and an alcohol.
For example, the reaction of fatty acids and methanol produce methyl esters, or
biodiesel. The molecular formula for a methyl ester is RCO2CH3, where R represents
a fatty acid. Triglycerides are also a type of ester. In fact the term “transesterification,”
which is the process of turning triglycerides into biodiesel, means the act of changing
one type of ester into another.

Molecular Formula : RCO2CH3

Structural Formula :

THE CHEMISTRY OF MAKING BIODIESEL

Biodiesel is commonly produced by transesterification of vegetable oil or animal fat

feedstock. The triglyceride is vegetable oil. R1, R2 and R3 represent any of the fatty
acids. Reacting one part Vegetable oil with three parts Methanol gives three parts
Methyl Esters (Biodiesel) and one part Glycerol. In practical terms, the volume of
Biodiesel will be equal to the input volume of vegetable oil.

The chemical reaction to produce biodiesel is as follows:

 PROCEDURE
1. Measure out 100 mL of oil using a graduated cylinder, and pour the oil into
one of the Erlenmeyer flasks.

2. Record observations of colour, viscosity, clarity, and other aspects of

the appearance of the starting material (oil).

3. Check that the temperature of the water bath is between 40 °C and 65 °C. Place
the Erlenmeyer flask containing the oil sample into a water bath set up by your
teacher.

4. While your oil is warming, measure out 20 mL of methanol using a 50

mL graduated cylinder and pour it into a second Erlenmeyer flask.

5. To the Erlenmeyer flask containing the methanol, add ONE of the following:
15 mL of 1.0 mol/L NaOH(aq) solution, 15 mL of KOH(aq) solution, 0.6 g
of NaOH(s), or 0.9 g of KOH(s). Swirl your mixture of methanol and base
gently to mix. This mixture is called methoxide.

• If using a solid base, the mixture should be swirled or stirred until the solid
base dissolves completely.
• To prevent evaporation, this mixture should be stoppered until it is ready
to be added to the oil.

6. Pour the methoxide mixture into the warm oil in the Erlenmeyer flask.

7. Stir, swirl, or stopper and gently shake the mixture for several minutes. The
mixture will become cloudy and turn a milky colour. A stopper or aluminum
foil can be used on the flask to control fumes.

8. If the reaction is successful, you should start seeing two layers developing
inside the flask. The heavier glycerin will start to settle to the bottom soon after
you stop mixing the reactants. The biodiesel will be in the upper layer. The
 biodiesel varies in colour depending on the oil used. This will take at least an
hour, but longer is better. The mixture should sit overnight to completely react.

Collecting Biodiesel

9. Use a disposable pipette or a turkey baster to carefully remove the top layer,
containing the biodiesel, from the Erlenmeyer flask and move it to a clean
graduated cylinder.

10. Record the volume of the biodiesel transferred from the Erlenmeyer flask.

11. Record observations of colour, viscosity, clarity, and other aspects of the
appearance of the starting material (oil) and the product (biodiesel) collected.

12. Place the biodiesel into an appropriately labelled container.

High Free Fatty Acid Grease

In the case of using waste vegetable oil (yellow grease) as a feedstock, free fatty
acids (FFA’s) may pose a problem. A free fatty acid is one that has already separated
from the glycerol molecule. This is usually the result of the oil breaking down after
many cycles of use. FFA’s create 3 major problems.

1. More catalyst will need to be used leading to higher cost

2. Soap (fatty acid salt) is formed, making washing the finished product more difficult.

3. Water is formed which will retard the main reaction

4. The FFA’s are not converted into fuel, reducing the yield

The reaction of FFA’s and the catalyst NaOH

Saponification (Soap-Making) Reaction

When the oil has less then 2.5% FFA, the problems listed previously are negligible
by using the single step (transesterification) only. Others have reported good
results up to 4% FFA.

PROCESS FLOW CHART

This process has two separate starting points. If vegetable oils can be obtained that
are below 2.5% FFA, the esterification step is not necessary.

Heating of Oil

In order to speed up the reaction, the oil must be heated. The ideal temperature range
is 120deg F to 140deg F. The reaction can take days at room temperature and will be
inhibited above 140deg F. Heating with electric elements is usually the easiest way to
bring the oil up to temperature. Equation 1 will give an estimate for the amount of
time it takes to heat the oil.

Estimated heating time in hours

It is important to stir the oil as it is heated. This will result in a more even heating
and reduce the temperature of oil exposed directly to the heating element.

Titration
In order to determine the percent of FFA in the oil, a process called titration is used.
The vegetable oil is first mixed with methanol. Next, a mixture of Sodium Hydroxide
(NaOH) and water is added until all of the FFA has been reacted. This is confirmed by
checking the pH of the mixture. A pH of about 9 signifies all of the FFA has been
reacted. Virgin vegetable oil from the same feed stock will usually titrate at
approximately the same level, so checking every batch is not necessary. Waste
Vegetable oil feed stocks will vary greatly. Every batch must be titrated.

The following items are needed to perform an accurate titration.

- Two 50mL flasks

- One 5mL graduated pipette
- A 1mL dropper
- A 10mL dropper
- A mixture of NaOH and water in 0.1% concentration
- pH solution and color chart

The NaOH water mixture can be prepared by adding 1 gram of NaOH to 1000ml
distilled water. The mixture will be more accurate if it is first made as a 1% solution
(10grams NaOH to 1000ml water). Next, add 100mL of the 1% solution to 900ml of
distilled water. This will make a 0.1% NaOH solution.

The process for titration is as follows:

1) Place 10mL of Methanol in a 50ml flask

2) Add 1mL of vegetable oil (mix the oil thoroughly prior to drawing 1ml)
3) Mix the oil with the Methanol using the squirting action of the dropper
4) Add the ph indicator solution (usually 3 drops, check instructions)
5) Place 15ml 0.1% NaOH (know as titrant) solution in a 50ml flask
6) Draw exactly 5ml of the NaOH solution into the graduated pipette
7) Add the 0.1% NaOH to the methanol/oil mixture one drop at a time. Mix the
solution using a swirling action between the drops. Using the eyedropper to
mix the solution may help if the oil forms drops in the bottom of the flask.
 8) Continue to add 0.1% NaOH until a pH of 9 (blue-green color) is reached.
This may require more than 5ml. Refill the pipette and continue. Note the
amount in ml that was required.

9) Look up the corresponding amount of NaOH required for the entire batch in
Table 3. Multiply the amount by the number of gallons of oil to obtain the
required amounts.

Mixing of Methanol and Catalyst

The purpose of mixing methanol and the catalyst (NaOH) is to react the two
substances to form Methoxide. The amount of Methanol used should be 20% of the
volume of the oil. Methanol and NaOH are dangerous chemicals by themselves,
with Methoxide even more so. None of these substances should ever touch skin.
Vapors should NOT be inhaled. Gloves, goggles and ventilation are required at
ALL TIMES when working with these substances.

NaOH does not readily dissolve into Methanol. It is best to turn on the mixer to begin
agitating the Methanol and slowly pour the NaOH in. When particles of NaOH cannot
be seen, the Methoxide is ready to be added to the oil. This can usually be achieved in
20 – 30 minutes.

Draining of Glycerol

After the transesterification reaction, one must wait for the glycerol to settle to the
bottom of the container. This happens because Glycerol is heavier then biodiesel. The
settling will begin immediately, but the mixture should be left a minimum of eight
hours

(preferably 12) to make sure all of the Glycerol has settled out. The Glycerol
volume should be approximately 20% of the original oil volume.
Figure 4 and Figure 5 show the difference in viscosity and color between the two
liquids. The object is to remove only the Glycerol and stop when the biodiesel is
reached. Glycerol looks very dark compared to the yellow biodiesel. The viscosity
difference is large enough between the two liquids that the difference in flow from
the drain can be seen.

Washing of Fuel

The washing of raw biodiesel fuel is one of the most discussed subjects among do it
yourselfers. The purpose is to wash out the remnants of the catalyst and other
impurities. There are three main methods:

- Water wash only (a misting of water over the fuel, draining water off the bottom)
- Air bubble wash (slow bubbling of air through the fuel)
- Air/water bubble wash (with water in the bottom of the tank, bubbling air
through water and then the fuel)

Which method works the best is dependent on the quality of the fuel. The method
used at WMRC for all fuel is a combination of water washing and air bubble washing.
Water is misted above the fuel at a rate of 5 gallons/hour. (The rate really depends on
the diameter of the tank. The water should not break the surface of the biodiesel). The
amount of wash water should equal the amount of oil, and can be drained throughout
the washing process.

After the water is drained, the air washing process can start. At this point, the
biodiesel is usually a pale yellow color. Air should be bubbled through the biodiesel
mixture for approximately 8 hours. The bubbling should be just enough to agitate the
biodiesel surface. A final drain of accumulated contaminants is done immediately
after the air bubble wash is finished. The fuel is now ready for use.
Transesterification (biodiesel reaction for oils < 2.5%FFA)

The transesterification process can be summarized in the following steps:

1) Heat oil to 130deg F

2) Titrate the oil (determine how much sodium hydroxide to add)
3) Mix the sodium hydroxide and methanol to make methoxide
4) Mix the methoxide with the oil
5) Drain glycerol
6) Wash biodiesel

Esterification of (pretreatment where FFA > 2.5%)

Esterification is done as a pretreatment step to the transesterification procedure when

the FFA content is higher then 2.5%. In practice, it is a bit more complicated to
implement then transesterification. A byproduct of the process is water, which
impedes the reaction. As there is more FFA in the oil, more methanol percentage wise
must be added to compensate for the water. To overcome this, industrial producers
use counter current reactors that enable a continuous flow of high FFA oil in and
water out.

Esterification is not covered in this document because it has not been thoroughly
tested by WMRC.

CONCLUSION
Our society is dependent on petroleum products for heat, electricity, and
transportation. Unfortunately, petroleum is a limited and non-renewable resource.
In addition, the supply of petroleum products is not always reliable, resulting in
fluctuating fuel prices. Researchers are searching for ways to supplement and/or
replace petroleum fuels, and consumers are looking for cheaper alternatives.

Biodiesel is a fuel that has been proposed as either an alternative or as a means to

supplement petroleum-diesel or gasoline.
 REFERENCES

All information in this project has been gathered from the Internet.

 en.wikipedia.org

 www.berkeleybiodiesel.org

 www.bp.com

 www.instituteforenergyresearch.org

 www.rsc.org

 projects.icbse.com

 www.projectsyapa.com

 www.fueleconomy.gov

 www.sciencedaily.com

 www.biodiesel.org

 www.biofuelsdigest.com

 www.gas2.org

 www.digg.com