Biofuel production from novel Prunus domestica kernel oil: process optimization technique

Biodiesel obtained from low-cost non-edible oils is the most promising alternative fuel for conventional diesel fuel. In this current work, Prunus domestica kernel oil was used as a feedstock for synthesizing methyl ester. The FFA value of the kernel oil was examined by employing the isopropyl alcohol technique and found to be 11.63 mg KOH/g. Hence, oil was processed with a two-step transesterification process using acid (H₂SO₄) and base (NaOH) catalyst reaction to convert into biodiesel. To obtain maximum yield and high-quality biodiesel, an optimization technique was employed. In this technique, the process parameters such as experimental duration, reaction temperature, NaOH concentration, and methanol to oil ratio were optimized based on Taguchi technique. The investigations revealed that 150 min, 60°C, 8:1 ratio, and 1 wt% NaOH were optimal process parameters obtained with a reaction efficiency of 97.86%. The experimental analysis considered that the methanol to oil ratio was happened to be the most substantial entity using ANOVA. The biodiesel Prunus domestica methyl ester produced matched and fulfilled the standards EN14214.