BAHIR DAR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

FACULITY OF CHEMICAL AND FOOD ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEEERING

Semester Project

Production of Biodiesel from Cotton seed oil

Group Members Name ID

Semon Worku 0601458
Abreham Kiros 0502445
Mulat Yirga 0601285

Advisor – Mr. Muluken Alem

Submission Date 26/05/10 E.C
Declaration
We declare, hereby this semester project entitled on Production of Biodiesel from Cotton seed oil
is our original work and performed by our effort with the willing of God.

Name of student Signature Date

1. Semon Worku _____________ ________________
2. Abriham Kiros _____________ ________________
3. Mulat Yirga _____________ ________________

Mentor approval
This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidates is correct to the best of my
knowledge and belief. This project has been submitted for presentation with my approval.

Name of Mentor ______________________________ Signature ______________

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Acknowledgment
First and for most we would like to give great praise to our Lord, Jesus Christ, for his kindness,
forgiveness and guidance in our life. Secondly, we want to express our deepest appreciation to our
advisor Mr. Muluken Alem Who gave us advises, suggestions and comments regarding the project
during our work. Thirdly, we would like to give a thank to department of food engineering and
their lab assistances for letting us work in their lab and for helping us during our lab work.

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Executive Summery
Production of cotton seed ethyl ester (biodiesel) from vegetable oil for diesel substitute is
particularly important because it is renewable, ecofriendly and economical. Biodiesel is produced
by transesterification of oil and alcohol with the presence of a catalyst. Three principal variables,
molar ratio of ethanol to oil, amount of catalyst, and reaction temperature affecting the yield of
alkaline catalyzed production of ethyl ester from cotton seed oil were investigated. The reaction
variables used were ethanol/oil molar ratio(6:1,3:1), catalyst concentration(0.75,1wt%) and
temperature(60,650c). the rate of transesterification in a batch reactor increased with temperature
up to 650C. the ethyl ester with best yield and quality was produced with cotton seed ethyl ester at
6:1 molar ratio and 1wt% catalyst (NaOH). The yield was 78.4%. It was noted that greater or lower
the concentration of NaOH or ethanol than the optimal values, the reaction either fully occur or
lead to soap formation. Physical property of cotton seed ethyl ester are compared to that of
petroleum diesel and Standard biodiesel.

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List of Table
Table 3.1. Equipments used during and after production ………………………….…………….. 7
Table 3.2. Chemicals used during and after production ……………………………………….....7
Table 3.3. Experiment trials data ………………………………………………………………... 16
Table 4.1 Yield calculation for each trial ……………………………………………………..… 17
Table 4.2 Characterized values of each trial ………………………………………………..….. 18
Table 4.3 Property difference of trials made, Standard Biodiesel and Petrol Diesel ………...… 24

List of Figure
Figure 3.1 The experiment setup ……………………………………………………..………..... 9
Figure 3.2 Formation of Biodiesel and Glycerol ………...…………………………………..….. 13
Figure 3.3. Hydrometer measuring density of a sample a sample …………………………….… 14
Figure 3.4. VISCO STAR measuring viscosity of a sample ………………………………….… 15

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Table of Contents
Declaration ..................................................................................................................................................... i
Acknowledgment .......................................................................................................................................... ii
Executive Summery ..................................................................................................................................... iii
List of Table ................................................................................................................................................. iv
List of Figure................................................................................................................................................ iv
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1
1.1 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................................ 2
1.2 Objective ....................................................................................................................................... 2
1.2.1 General Objective ................................................................................................................. 2
1.2.2 Specific Objective ................................................................................................................. 2
1.3 Significance of the project ............................................................................................................ 3
1.4 Scope of the Project ...................................................................................................................... 3
2. Literature Review.................................................................................................................................. 4
3. Material & Method ............................................................................................................................... 7
3.1 Material ......................................................................................................................................... 7
3.1.1 Equipments ........................................................................................................................... 7
3.1.2 Chemical ............................................................................................................................... 7
3.2 Method ......................................................................................................................................... 8
3.2.1 Raw Material Collection and Analysis ........................................................................................ 8
3.2.2 Free Fatty Acid Determination (FFA %) ..................................................................................... 8
3.2.3 Catalyst Preparation ..................................................................................................................... 8
3.2.4 Transesterification........................................................................................................................ 8
3.2.4.1 Reaction Kinetics .................................................................................................................. 9
3.2.5 Glycerol Separation............................................................................................................. 13
3.2.6 Washing .............................................................................................................................. 13
3.2.7 Water Removal ................................................................................................................... 13
3.2.8 Characterization .................................................................................................................. 14
3.2.9 Experimental Design ........................................................................................................... 16
4. Results and Discussions ...................................................................................................................... 17
4.1 Results ......................................................................................................................................... 17
4.1.1 Free Fatty Acid.................................................................................................................... 17
4.1.2 Yield.................................................................................................................................... 17

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 4.1.3 Biodiesel Physical Characterization.................................................................................... 18
4.2 Discussion.................................................................................................................................... 18
5. Conclusion & Recommendation ......................................................................................................... 20
5.1 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 20
5.2 Recommendation........................................................................................................................ 20
Reference .................................................................................................................................................... 21

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1. INTRODUCTION

Biodiesel, an alternative diesel fuel, is made from renewable biological sources such as vegetable
oils and animal fats. It is biodegradable and non-toxic has low emission profiles and so is
environmentally beneficial. Recently, because of increases in crude oil prices, limited resources of
fossil oil and environmental concerns there has been a renewed focus on vegetable oils and animal
fats to make biodiesel fuels. Continued and increasing use of petroleum will intensify local air
pollution and magnify the global warming problems caused by carbon dioxide. [4]

Biodiesel is a renewable substitute fuel for petroleum diesel fuel which is made from non-toxic,
biodegradable, renewable sources such as refined and used vegetable oils and animal fats. It is
produced by transesterification in which oil or fat is reacted with a monohydric alcohol in the
presence of a catalyst. The process of transesterification is affected by many factors such as mode
of reaction, molar ratio of alcohol to oil, type of alcohol, nature and amount of catalysts, reaction
time, and temperature. [5]

Various studies have been carried out using different oils as the raw material and different alcohols
(methanol, ethanol, butanol), as well as different catalysts, notably homogeneous ones such as
sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sulfuric acid, and supercritical fluids or enzymes such as
lipases. Recent research has focused on the application of heterogeneous catalysts to produce
biodiesel, because of their environmental and economic advantages. [6]

Biodiesel does not contain any sulfur, aromatic hydrocarbons, metals and crude oil residues. These
properties improve combustion efficiency and emission profile. Biodiesel fuel blends reduce
particulate material (PM), hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and sulphur oxides. However, NOx
emissions are slightly increased depending on biodiesel concentration in the fuel .Due to the lack
of sulphur biodiesel decrease, levels of corrosive sulphuric acid accumulating in engine crank case
oil. [5]

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Global biodiesel industry is projected to grow and touch around 3,900 Million Gallon by 2014.
Coming to in our country, so far there is no observable market use of biodiesel product in our
country Ethiopia. But currently there are more than 50 projects in progress from which 14 has
started operation in five different regions (Benshangl Gumuz, Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and
Gambella). For the production of biodiesel, especially for large production plants, the availability
of customers (demanders) plays a very crucial role. If we assess the customer status in Ethiopia, it
is believed there are a significant amount of demanders looking for low cost fuel (compared with
petro-diesel). [4]

1.1 Statement of the Problem

Because Diesel produce oxides of sulfur oxides (SOX), oxides of nitrogen (NOX) and oxides of
carbon (CO & CO2) which has an increasing environmental concerns and also based on world
petroleum council (WPC) earth’s capacity to give petroleum will seize under 50 years, There is a
great demand for alternative sources of petroleum-based fuel. Biodiesel, a clean renewable fuel,
has recently been considered as the best candidate for a diesel fuel substitution.

1.2 Objective
1.2.1 General Objective
To Produce Biodiesel from Cotton seed oil
1.2.2 Specific Objective
a) To determine the free fatty acid value of cotton seed oil
b) To determine the optimum parameters such as alcohol to oil ratio, temperature and catalyst
concentration for maximum yield
c) To characterize the produced biodiesel
d) To compare quality of the produced biodiesel with Standard biodiesel and petrol diesel

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1.3 Significance of the project

Biodiesel from cotton seed is considered the best candidate for diesel fuel substitute in diesel
engines because it is non-toxic, bio-degradable and also have similar operational properties with
that of petroleum based diesel fuel. Using biodiesel as an engine fuel has many Economical and
Environmental benefits.

Economically, producing biodiesel will substitute imported petroleum products and export
earnings, which enhance agricultural development and agro processing and also will create Jobs
and improve income of the people.

Environmentally, it will Improve agricultural land productivity through integrations of biodiesel

development program with land use plan and also decrease environmental pollution through the
promotion of biodiesel utilization.

Generally, it is an attractive alternative to petroleum diesel fuel due to well-known advantages it

has over it including; it provides the potential for lower dependence on petroleum crude oil, it is a
renewable resource, it has a lower combustion emission profile (especially SOx), it provides the
potential for enhancement of rural economies, it is biodegradable, it can be used without engine
modifications, it provides good engine performance improved combustion is exhibited because of
its oxygen content, it exhibits low toxicity, it has the ability to be blended in any proportion with
regular petroleum-based diesel fuel, it can also be used in boilers or furnaces designed to use
heating oil’s or in oil-fueled lighting equipment.

1.4 Scope of the Project

This project work ranges from characterization of cotton seed oil, finding proper operational
parameters for maximum yield, characterization & comparison of the produced biodiesel with that
of petrol diesel and standard diesel.

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2. Literature Review
Extraction cotton seed oil was performed using soxhlet extraction method using hexane as a
solvent. And using anhydrous ethanol transesterification was carried out in a laboratory with a
molar ratio of which of 6 to 1 and 0.75wt% sodium methaoxide as a catalyst. The mixture was
stirred at 500rpm and 60OC for 2hrs which biodiesel was then the decanted from the glycerol. The
conditions used are similar to the optimized system parameters established by Rashid et al.,(2009)
of 6:1 methanol/oil molar ratio (mol/mol), 0.75% sodium methoxide concentration (wt %), 65OC
reaction temperature, 600 rpm stir rate, 90 min reaction time which fetched a maximum biodiesel
yield of 96.9%. After decanting, the lighter biodiesel was washed with deionized water thrice and
then chemically dried by passing it through anhydrous sodium sulphate (Na2SO4). Finally they
concluded that because of the low free fatty acid, the cotton seed oil did not require a two stage
treatment for biodiesel production by alkaline transesterification and also found out that the
biodiesel that was produced had similar properties with that of petrol diesel but with 84.49 cetane
number which was an additional benefit. [1]

A study was carried out for the preparation of cotton seed oil Biodiesel by base transesterification
process in which totally focused on the increase in ester content by changing the basic process
parameters. Here two 0parameters are kept constant and one parameter is increased and the degree
of esterification variation is studied. In this work, oil to alcohol ratio and temperature is kept
constant and catalyst concentration has been increased which results to different degree of
esterification for different catalyst concentration. Similarly the process temperature & catalyst
concentration kept constant and oil to alcohol ratio is increased, here too yield of biodiesel varies.
The process temperature changed and remaining two parameters oil to alcohol ratio &
concentration of catalyst are kept constant which gives a different yield. From the experimental
studies , the optimum process conditions for transesterification of cottonseed oil has been
examined which results in good yield of Biodiesel which is the best alternative fuel for petro diesel.
[2]

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After the crude cotton seed oil was extracted from the seed, Esterification on the free fatty acid
was carried out with methanol and concentrated sulphuric acid (H2SO4) as a catalyst. The oil fed
into the reactor was preheated to 55OC before the catalyst and the alcohol mixture were added.
Agitation was provided with a speed controller mechanical stirrer, at a constant speed of 464rpm,
to overcome mass transfer limitations. The optimum condition was found after a certain trials
which is Methanol to oil ratio of 1:6, catalyst concentration of 1wt%, and a reaction temperature
of 60OC, at an agitation speed of 464rpm. The total Methylester formed after the process was
66.4%. Finally concluded that the biodiesel outcome depends on the concentration of catalyst used,
oil to alcohol ratio and temperature used for the process. [3]

Biodiesel yield with respect to time for 6:1 and 4.5:1and 3:1 molar ratio respectively at different
percentage of catalyst (KOH). It has been observed that there is higher yield in case of 6:1 molar
ratio as compared to 4.5:1 and 3:1 molar ratio. It may be because of alcohol using for 6:1 molar
ratio is more than that of 4.5:1 and 3:1 molar ratio. The yield for 0.5% KOH is less as compare to
0.75% and 1% KOH in all the cases. It may be because of 0.5% KOH is not sufficient to enhance
the reaction. The maximum yield obtained is 97.82 at 1% KOH for 6:1 molar ratio. [8]

Experiment was conducted on production & analysis of biodiesel from non-edible oils. Bio diesel
has become more alternative recently because of its environmental benefits and it is derived from
renewable resources, bio degradable and non-toxic in nature. Several bio diesel production
methods have been developed among which transesterification using alkali catalyst gives high
level of conversation of transesterification is effected by the reaction condition , molar ratio of
alcohol to oil ,type of alcohol, type and amount of catalyst, reaction there temperature , purity of
reactants free fatty acids and water content of oil’s or fats. Alternative fuels for diesel engines have
become increasingly important due to decreasing petroleum resource and environmental
consequences of exhaust gases from petroleum fuelled engines. [9]

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The overall studies based on the production, fuel characterization, engine performance of different
biodiesel blends of waste cotton seed oil methyl esters were carried out. The kinematic viscosity
of diesel, waste cotton seed oil biodiesel were found as 2.8, 3.6 centistokes respectively at 400C.
The results indicated that the waste cotton seed oil biodiesel had the kinematic viscosity 75.69 %
more than that of diesel. The waste cotton seed oil biodiesel was found to have higher flash and
fire point than those of mineral diesel. The graphical results show that diesel has better
performance characteristics than biodiesel and biodiesel blends. Among the three different blends
of biodiesel, B10 has the better performance characteristics than B15 and B20 blend of biodiesel
when fuelled in an internal combustion engine. [10]

Cottonseed oil has enormous potential for biodiesel production. It is very clear that economics of
the product is controlled by the availability of raw materials. So, the plantation of the trees and
their usage should be properly managed to explore the benefits from this neglected plant. In
conclusion it’s found that in mechanical stirring the yield obtained at 1% KOH is higher as
compare to 0.75% KOH. Maximum yield up to 98% is obtained from CSO by using mechanical
stirrer technique. When we increase timing of stirrer the percentage of yields enhances. The overall
finding is that molar ratio 6:1 and timing of stirrer 30 minute is give good percentage of yields.
[11]

It was reported the optimal molar ratio of methanol to Cynara oil between 4.05-5.57, beyond which
either the catalytic transesterification is incomplete or glycerin separation becomes very difficult.
More than 98% conversion of vegetable oils to the methyl esters could be achieved at the molar
ratio of 6:1. [12]

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3. Material & Method
3.1 Material
3.1.1 Equipments

Table 3.1 Equipments used during and after production

Equipment Function
Flask As a Reactor Vessel
Beaker To store chemicals and mixtures
Magnetic Stirrer To facilitate transesterification process
Dropper To drop phenophitaline as per needed amount
Stand To hold materials to work easily
Pipet To add NaOH
Viscometer To measure viscosity of the oil and diesel
Hydrometer To measure density of the produced biodiesel
Syringe To separate the biodiesel from glycerol
Oven To remove water
Balance To measure NaOH & Glycerol weights
Aluminum Foil To reduce ethanol escape and better reaction environment

3.1.2 Chemical

Table 3.2 Chemicals used during and after production

Item Function
Cotton seed oil As a raw material
Ethanol Used to form esterification reaction
NaOH As a catalyst for the reaction
Phenophitaline Provides detection in the titration process
Distilled Water To purify the biodiesel and make solutions

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3.2 Method

3.2.1 Raw Material Collection and Analysis

5lt of Cotton seed oil was purchased from the local market. We can only proceed to the production
process if only we are aware that the oil has adequate free fatty acid in it to produce biodiesel if
not the production process would have been pointless plus if the free fatty acid was much higher
than the standard level then it would have so much soap formation which is not acceptable because
higher soap value retards biodiesel yield. Because of these reasons the oil’s free fatty acid value
was measured first using titration.

3.2.2 Free Fatty Acid Determination (FFA %)

Before proceeding to the transesterification process free fatty acid value of the oil was determined.
First 0.1N NaOH solution was prepared using distilled water then the solution was poured into a
burette which was fixed in on a stand. 10.8ml of cottonseed oil was mixed with 25ml of alcohol
and 3 drops of phenolphthalein in a beaker. After that the mixture in the beaker was titrated with
aqueous 0.1N NaOH shacking constantly until a pink color which persists for 15seconds was
obtained.

%FFA = (2.82 * volume of 0.1N NaOH in ml) * 100%

Weight of oil in g

3.2.3 Catalyst Preparation

Catalyst solution was prepared using NaOH and distilled water. We measured 6gm for 0.75%wt/v
concentration and 8gm for 1%wt/v concentration of NaOH by a balance with 20ml of distilled
water for each cases and mixed them in a flask until all the NaOH mass was dissolved in water.

3.2.4 Transesterification
Transesterification is the process of producing alkyl ester, commonly known as biodiesel, and
glycerol though the reaction of alcohol and oil in the presence of a base catalyst. Based on the trial
data given below on table 3, we mixed the catalyst solution, oil & ethanol with their perspective

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temperature of 60 & 65OC which is below the boiling point of ethanol (78OC) in a flask. Before
sealing the flask with aluminum foil, in order to reduce ethanol escaping and better reaction
environment, we putted a stirring rod at the bottom of the flask for stirring purpose. Finally the
flask, after being sealed with the foil, was putted on a magnetic stirrer that operated with a constant
stirring speed for 90mins.

Figure 3.1 The experiment setup

3.2.4.1 Reaction Kinetics

During transesterification process, first the catalyst (NaOH Solution) and Ethanol were mixed
together. When NaOH solution and Ethanol were mixed, The NaOH breaks into ions of Na+ and
OH-. The OH- abstracts the hydrogen from ethanol to form water and Na+ reacted with CH3CH2O-
to form sodium ethoxide. When the OH- ion reacts with H+ ion, it reacts to form water. Water
increased the possibility of a side reaction with free fatty acids (fatty acids that are not
triglycerides) to form soap which is unwanted reaction.

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If it was possible it would have been recommended to remove the water from the mixture of
sodium ethoxide and water solution since water and oil reaction makes free fatty acids that may
convert to soap which is undesired reaction. But removing water is impossible since boiling point
of ethanol is lower than water. So the sodium ethoxide solution was poured into the flask that
contained oil with the respected value from table 3. Finally the catalyst-alcohol-oil solution was
constantly stirred for 90mins.

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During transesterification process, 3 basic parameters namely oil to alcohol ratio, catalyst
concentration and temperature were used variously to determine the best possible way to gain a
better yield. The first parameter was ratio of ethanol to oil which were kept 3:1mol/mol and
6:1mol/mol. Another parameter was the concentration of catalyst i.e. NaOH which was taken
1%wt/v and 0.75%wt/v. The last parameter was temperature, for our project we used 60OC and
65OC. Every trial gave different biodiesel yield which were recorded for optimal parameter
recommendation later.

CH2COOR CH2 - OH
| |
NaOH
CH2COOR + 3C2H5OH 3C2H5COOR + CH - OH
| Ethanol Ethyl Ester |
CH2COOR (Biodiesel) CH2 - OH
Triglyceride (Oil) Glycerol

Based on the stoichiometry of the process above, amount of oil and ethanol used for the production
process was determined as follows.

Composition of Cotton seed oil;

1) Palmitic acid 21.1%
2) Stearic acid 3.6%
3) Oliec acid 20.1%
4) Linoleic acid 55.2%

a) Molecular weight of Palmitic acid (C16H32O2) = 256.42g/mol

b) Molecular weight of Stearic acid (C18H36O2) = 284.4g/mol
c) Molecular weight of Oliec acid (C18H34O2) = 282.52g/mol
d) Molecular weight of Linoleic acid (C18H32O2) = 280.45g/mol

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Average molecular Wight of Cotton Seed Oil (CSO) = ∑MiXi = 256.42*0.211 + 284.4*0.036 +
282.52*0.201 + 280.45*0.552 = 270.26g/mol

Now converting molar value to volume value

Weight of CSO = mol of CSO * Mcso = 1mol of CSO * 270.26g/mol = 270.26g

ᵨ of CSO= Mass of CSO/Volume of CSO

ᵨ
Vcso=Mcso/ CSO = 270g/0.926 g/ml = 291.57ml

By the same way for ethanol,

Wight of CH3CH2 OH = mol of CH3CH2 OH *M CH3CH2 OH

For 3 mol ethanol, volume can was calculated as;

Wight of CH3CH2 OH =3mol *46g/mol = 138g of CH3CH2 OH

V CH3CH2 OH = M/ ᵨCSO=138g/0.785g/ml =175.79ml

For 6 mol ethanol, the volume can be calculated as;

Weight of CSO= 6 mol of CSO * 46g/mol= 216g

V CH3CH2 OH = 216g/0.785g/ml = 352ml

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3.2.5 Glycerol Separation
After 90mins of stirring process, we turned off the stirrer and the biodiesel-glycerol mixture was
allowed to settle over a night for the reaction to be completed and gain maximum yield. Separation
process was accomplished by gravity separating the mixture into biodiesel and glycerol. After
complete conversion we got a light yellow color biodiesel and a very viscose glycerol. Because of
its higher density property, glycerol settled down under the biodiesel. So using syringe, we pumped
the biodiesel out of the beaker carefully without any movement not to mix the two products.

Figure 3.2 Formation of Biodiesel and Glycerol

3.2.6 Washing
Then the biodiesel was washed with 1/3rd volume of distilled water to remove unreacted catalyst
and soap formations, based on volume of biodiesel, and allowed to settle for 4hrs.

3.2.7 Water Removal

Because we used distilled water to remove impurities, the biodiesel contained water. So using oven
at 130OC water was removed in a period of 24hrs.

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3.2.8 Characterization
After the produced biodiesel have been separated, we measured its properties and first compare
each of the trials with one another and take the best one of the trials and compare it to petrol diesel
and standard biodiesel.

A. Density
It is measure of the power output of a diesel engine per unit volume of fuel consumed. It
was measured using hydrometer at atmospheric temperature (i.e. 25OC) by immersing the
hydrometer in to each trial biodiesel sample and the density value was read at the level of
the oil.

Figure 3.3 Hydrometer measuring density of a sample a sample

B. Viscosity
Viscosity is the important fuel property because it influences the atomization of the fuel
being inserted into the engine combustion chamber. For complete combustion, a very small
fuel drop is required. High viscosity causes poorer atomization of the fuel spray and less
accurate operation of the fuel injectors. Lower viscosity of the biodiesel helps to pump and
atomize easily and achieve finer droplets. It was measured using a device called VISCO
STAR plus. There is a rotating shaft that has a small disc at the end of it and this end was
inserted on the sample which is brought near to it, so when the shaft rotates, the disc with
a sensor will measure the viscosity and displayed on the digital screen. The measurement

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 that VISCO STAR gave was dynamic viscosity at atmospheric temperature (i.e. 25OC) of
the sample. From that result and the samples respective density, we calculated kinematic
viscosity.

Figure 3.4 VISCO STAR measuring viscosity of a sample

C. Yield
Yield of biodiesel is the amount of biodiesel produced per a certain of amount of cottonseed
oil used.

Biodiesel Yield = Volume of biodiesel produced * 100%

Volume of cotton seed oil used

D. Flash point
Flash point is the lowest temperature at which application of an ignition source causes the
vapor of a specimen to ignite. Due to material shortage we used Cleveland open-cup
method to determine the flash point of the biodiesel. First 50ml of biodiesel was poured
into a cup and putted on a heater with a thermometer dipped in the sample which was fixed
by stand. Then heat was applied gradually until flash was observed and the temperature at
which flash was observed were recorded.

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3.2.9 Experimental Design
a) Number of Runs (NR = LP= 2^3 = 8)
Where L – Levels
P – Parameters
b) Number of Parameters with Levels(P = 3 and L = 2)
a) Temperature (60O and 65OC)
b) Catalyst concentration (1%wt/v and 0.75%wt/v)
c) Alcohol to oil ratio (3:1 and 6:1)

Table 3.3 Experiment trials data

Trial No Oil/Alcohol Molar Ratio Catalysis Conc (wt/v) Temperature (OC)
(mol/mol)
1 1:6 1% 65
2 1:6 0.75% 65
3 1:6 1% 60
4 1:6 0.75% 60
5 1:3 1% 65
6 1:3 0.75% 65
7 1:3 1% 60
8 1:3 0.75% 60

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4. Results and Discussions
4.1 Results
4.1.1 Free Fatty Acid
Free fatty acid in cotton seed oil was determined using titration and its value calculated from the
equation given in the method which was approximately 0.66% which was below 2.5% of
standard value so one step transesterification process was enough.

4.1.2 Yield
8 trials with 3 different molar ratios were studied for achieving maximum yield and their respective
yield was determined as followed. From our experimental results, higher yields were achieved at
molar ratio of 1:6(78.4%, 66.7%and 70.23%) and the catalyst effect was also observed that at 1%
catalyst concentration was better than 0.75% on the yield. The temperature also affected the yield
in such a way that increased temperature facilitated the transesterification reaction. In our trails we
observed that as the temperature increased from 60 to 650C, higher yield was obtained according
to the table below.

Table 4.1 Yield calculation for each trial

Trial NO Oil used (ml) Biodiesel Produced Yield (%)
(ml)
1 292 228.9 78.4
2 292 195 66.7
3 292 210.7 70.23
4 292 185 63.3
5 292 178 61
6 292 162 55.4
7 292 177 60.6
8 292 156 53.5

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4.1.3 Biodiesel Physical Characterization

Based on their respective method density, viscosity and flash point of each trial were measured
and recorded.

Table 4.2 Characterized values of each trial

Trial NO Density (g/cm3) Viscosity (mm2/s) Flash Point (OC)
1 0.887 4.5 145
2 0.871 5.1 149
3 0.874 4.8 147
4 0.875 4.82 142
5 0.860 4.65 145
6 0.865 5.90 148
7 0.861 4.46 146
8 0.863 3.71 145

4.2 Discussion

Out of all parameters used, molar ratio of oil/ethanol had a great influence on the production
process of the biodiesel with the best result being recorded at 1:6 oil to alcohol ratio, 1% catalyst
concentration and 65OC temperature with 78.4% conversion rate. This result’s property were then
compared with standard biodiesel and petrol diesel.

Table 4.3 Property difference of trials made, Standard Biodiesel and Petrol Diesel
Property Experimental Value Standard Biodiesel Petrol Diesel
Density (gm/cm3) 0.887 0.875 0.831
Viscosity (mm/s) 4.5 5.2 3.01
Flash Point (OC) 145 142 61

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Since our best trial properties were close to that of ASTM standards, we can say that the experiment
was done to a satisfactorily level. And also properties such as density and viscosity were more
improved than that of petrol diesel which makes it a good result.

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5. Conclusion & Recommendation
5.1 Conclusion

Cotton seed has huge capability for biodiesel production, because it has low free fatty acid, so it
does not need two stage transesterification which makes it economical to produce it at industrial
level. Maximum biodiesel is noticed by optimizing ethanol to oil ratio, temperature and catalyst
concentration. The optimal parameter that gave maximum yield of biodiesel was found at 1:6
molar ratio, 65Oc reaction temperature and 1% catalyst concentration.

5.2 Recommendation

The result could be better if the following things can be improved such as equipment malfunction
specifically the magnetic stirrer, the reactor we used were not standard, if methanol was used, the
result could be enhanced and it would be better if caloric value, cetane number could be measured,
but due to unavailability of those measurements and chemicals we couldn’t to determine them.

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Reference
1. E.I.Bello, Aladesuru, Cottonseed (Gossypium arboreum) Oil Biodiesel Production,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure,
Nigeria, 2015
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