INFLUENCE OF CATALYST QUANTITY AND REACTION TIME ON IN-SITU PRODUCTION OF BIODIESEL FROM RAW CASTOR BEAN SEED USING RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY

Trans-esterification is the most commonly used methods of biodiesel production. In-situ trans-esterification process uses oil (triglycerides) in seeds directly without the need for initial extraction. The in-situ production of biodiesel from raw castor bean seed with a batch processor was studied at initial catalyst quantity of 0.1, 0.5 and 1.5%, reaction time of 30, 60 and 90 min with a reaction temperature of 60 0 C and alcohol seed ratio of 1:1 using the response surface methodology.  Initial catalyst concentration and reaction time were subjected to central composite experimental design of the response surface methodology.  Initial catalyst quantity and reaction time were found to have significant (P<0.05) effects on the yield of castor biodiesel produced, with increased catalyst quantity giving a negative effect on the yield after an initial amount of between 1.0 and 1.2%.  The reaction time had a positive effect on the yield until after 90 minutes after which biodiesel yield reduced with increased time. The CA-Time interactions influence was small and negative, due to the superior effect of initial catalyst quantity by the formation of by-products (soaps) leading to difficult ester separation from glycerol. A second-order model was obtained to predict the yield as a function of all factors. The model predicted well the observed data with a R 2 value of 0.983. The biodiesel produced had properties comparable to the standards of ASTM while the specific gravity was higher than the specified standards.