Title: Experimental investigation and optimisation of biodiesel production process

Authors: Arun Singh; Manjoo Rani; Saty Dev; Pushpendra Yadav

Addresses: Aircraft Research and Design Center Division, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Sanjay Nagar, Marathahalli, Bangaluru, Karnataka-560037, India ' Shri Ram Murti Smarak College of Engineering and Technology, Bareilly – 243202, U.P., India ' Shri Ram Murti Smarak College of Engineering and Technology, Bareilly – 243202, U.P., India ' Shri Ram Murti Smarak College of Engineering and Technology, Bareilly – 243202, U.P., India

Abstract: The general conditions such as increasing energy demand, high dependence on oil, severe environmental damage and the extinction of oil reserves have awakened the desire for renewable energy sources. Biodiesel is an environmentally friendly replacement for petroleum products. In this study, transesterification of Pongamia oil and algae oil was performed to produce a biodiesel blend that meets human needs in a sustainable environment. Study on direct transesterification of high free fatty acid (FFA) Pongamia oils mixed with low FFA algae oil at low temperature. Influence of process parameters, namely reaction time, catalyst amount and methanol/oil ratio, on biodiesel yield, which is analyzed and optimised by hybrid statistical methods. Experimental validation of predicted parameters such as reaction time 60.001 minutes, catalyst amount 7.097 E-5 kg and methanol-oil ratio 57.076 gave an accuracy of 99.98%. The test plant was designed considering rural operating conditions and suitable for biodiesel production for small businesses.

Keywords: biodiesel; pongamia oil; algae oil; transesterification; process optimisation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRET.2024.148782

International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology, 2024 Vol.14 No.4, pp.321 - 336

Received: 12 Feb 2023
Accepted: 02 Nov 2023
Published online: 24 Sep 2025 *

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