Repositori URV

Identifier: TDX:1637

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX1637

Authors:
Avellaneda Vargas, Fredy Augusto

Abstract:
The high petroleum dependence of the world, the instability of the international petroleum market and the petroleum price fluctuations, besides its social and environmental impact, have directed the world to the search of alternatives sources of energy, like biofuels. Biodiesel or FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester) is a renewable biofuel, environmentally friendly, produced from vegetable oils or animal fats, that can be used totally or partially to replace diesel without requiring any modification in the engines. The present research try to solve the high difficulty in producing biodiesel from crude palm oil, due to the high acid index, and the amount of gums and impurities presents in the crude oil. In this sense, an experimental study is presented with the objective of compare and optimise the biodiesel production at laboratory scale by transesterification reaction with methanol using NaOH as catalyst. The experiments were carried out varying the molar ratio methanol:oil, and the amount of catalyst used, as well as different oil pretreatment (using crude oil without pretreatment, degummed with phosphoric acid or preesterified with acid catalyst like sulphuric acid). The parameters that were measured and used for comparison were the yield of biodiesel (in grams of biodiesel produced per gram of crude palm oil) and its FAME % according to standard norm UNE 14103. The best biodiesel produced was analysed according to the standard European norm UNE 14214 in order to evaluate its global quality. The acid preesterification process at the optimal conditions found, transforms the crude palm oil in a suitable raw material for transesterification reaction, by a simple and rapid process, reducing significantly the losses due to refining, favouring the yield and producing a biodiesel