Hetero-Sonic Methanolysis of Palm Kernel Oil To Produce Biodiesel Fuel

Transcription

1 International Journal of Computational Engineering Reearch Vol, 03 Iue, 6 Hetero-Sonic Methanolyi of Palm Kernel Oil To Produce Biodieel Fuel H. O Boyo 1, O. T. Ogundipe 2, A. O. Boyo 3, L. A. Adam 4, N. N. Okwara 5 1,5 Hardware Development Laboratory, Department of Phyic, Univerity of Lago 2 Molecular Sytematic Laboratory, Department of Botany, Univerity of Lago 3 Department of Phyic, Lago State Univerity, Ojo, Lago 4 Department of Chemitry, Faculty of Science, Univerity of Lago ABSTRACT The valuable oil obtained from the kernel of the African oil palm, Elaei guineeni wa ued for the production of biodieel fuel (BDF). A prototype production plant baed on hetero-onic agitation wa deigned, fabricated and teted in the Hardware Development Laboratory. The produced plant wa ued to invetigate the effect of hetero-onic mixing on the methanolyi of palm kernel oil (PKO) in comparion to it abence in the conventional catalyi method. The uceptibility of commercial tock of PKO to meophilic and thermophilic fungi wa invetigated at the Molecular Sytematic Laboratory. It effect on the breakdown of PKO into free fatty acid (FFA) reulting into unpredictable quality of produced BDF wa alo invetigated. Reult howed that; Acoutic cavitation condition created by hetero-onic agitation produced high peed mixing and ma tranfer between methanol and oil. The net effect wa a higher yield of biodieel fuel within a horter time frame. It proved to reduce the traneterification time. Rancidity of Palm kernel oil wa facilitated by moiture, light expoure and atmopheric oxygen reulting to change in odour and ph. Due to the biodegradation condition, a ph change of 5+% wa oberved on a 3 month average torage at the Univerity of Lago. Thi project provide the clue for utainable and economic growth of the Nigerian energy ector which require; a tock pile preervation of raw material (PKO) and fat production plant (hetero-onic mixer) to meet potential market quality and demand. KEYWORDS: Hetero-onic Agitator (HA), Acoutic Spectral Control (ASC), virtual intrument (VI), Biodegradation, Biodieel fuel (BDF). 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 IMPORTANCE Biodieel fuel (BDF) i a biodegradable and non-polluting fuel which ha proved to be eco-friendly far more than foil fuel. Biodieel fuel made from natural ingredient i much better for the environment reduce green houe effect ince it produce fewer carbon emiion than conventional dieel fuel (FDF), the major contributor to global warming by about 75%. It alo produce very little ulfur when burned, thereby reducing the rik of acid rain [1]. In Nigeria the ue of foil dieel fuel engine for dometic and indutrial generation of electricity or automobile could reult to environmental iue, concerned with the exhaut gae emiion. One big advantage i that BDF can favorably replace FDF ince it can be ued in any dieel engine [4] without modification. 1.2 PRODUCTION TIME Making biodieel i a complicated and time conuming proce [3] which make it neceary for the tudy of the production proce baed on the raw material, palm kernel oil (PKO), lye (NaOH) and methanol (CH 3 OH) to optimize production time and reduce cot. The convectional (batch) production proce of making BDF i quite low and phae eparation of the glycerin i time-conuming, often take eighteen () hour or more. It involve mixing oil with an alcohol, uually methanol (CH 3 OH) or ethanol (C 2 H 5 OH) and an alkali catalyt. A reduction in production time would tranlate to a relative reduction in the end cot of BDF. It wa hown that ultraonic agitation reduce production time by ninety even point five percent (97.5%) thu favoring continuou production proce. In the ultraonic production proce; ultraonic wave caue the reaction mixture June 13 Page 42

2 Hetero-Sonic Methanolyi Of Palm to produce and collape bubble contantly. Thi phenomenon i termed acoutic cavitation which mimic imultaneouly the mixing and heating required to carry out traneterification proce [5]. 1.3 STORAGE There ha alo been a report of involvement of microbial activity in the break down of PKO into free fatty acid [2]. In Nigeria today we continue to enjoy ubide in foil fuel price with rocket hoot-up price during carcity. To enure reaonable price tability for BDF, o a not to be ubjected to unexpected hortage, we need long term torage of raw material. Specific to thi project, Palm kernel oil (PKO) i the raw material which diplay 3rd order biotic activity. It belong to the cla of good in which repiration procee are upended, but in which biochemical, microbial and other decompoition procee till proceed. Oil and fat poil by readily becoming rancid. Rancidity i promoted by light, atmopheric oxygen and moiture and lead to change in odor, ph, and tate. The acid value of oil may be ued a a meaure of quality. The high acid value of the oil denote an exceively high content of free fatty acid, which caue the oil to turn our. Dicoloration may alo occur. 1.4 CHALLANGES More challenging i to determine uitable acoutic frequencie and amplitude neceary to facilitate fat production of BDF. It would require deigning a reactor tank capable of producing uch wave and a pectral diplay of the ame ignal. Thi project aim to fabricate the mentioned equipment uing locally ourced material. We hope that a reduction in production time would tranlate to a relative reduction in the end cot of BDF; even if complete reduction cannot be attained a poible mixture of both BDF and FFD could reduce the environmental conequence of uing only foil fuel. In the near future, we alo intend to evaluate the production potential for other non edible oil. II. MATERIALS AND METHOD Material ued include; palm kernel oil (PKO), Lye (NaOH) and Methanol (CH 3 OH) Hetero-onic mixer (deigned and contructed) Laptop Computer configured a a Virtual Intrument The hetero-onic mixer and agitator were contructed with tunable acoutic frequencie between 5 KHz and 45 KHz (Figure 1A and 1B). A Virtual Intrument wa built into a laptop uing it ound card and aociated tranducer a a pectrum analyzer. The ound pectrum code wa developed on a National Intrument LabView G-programming platform. For a tart palm kernel oil (PKO) mixed in the alcohol (with bae catalyt NaOH) wa eparated into two equal halve, one i left to eparate naturally (conventional method) and the other half wa onicated with the built hetero-onic mixer. The virtual intrument pectrum analyzer wa ued to tune the onicator to the ame frequency peak and pectral power (Figure 2). Colour change during the chemical reaction (traneterification) and total BDF produced were ued to identify how the reaction progreed. Colonizing microbe were iolated from the PKO uing relevant media. Thi wa done uing freh and three month tored PKO. The effect of the Palm kernel oil on the growth of ome thermophilic and meophilic microbe wa alo invetigated in vivo a decribed by Adekunle and Ozonweke (21). Figure 1A: Projection of the heteroonic mixer. June 13 Page 43

3 Hetero-Sonic Methanolyi Of Palm Figure 1B: Iometric view of the heteroonic mixer. III. THEORY Multiple frequency wave are generated uing the built Hetero-onic mixer. The pectral wave with characteritic frequencie caue the reaction mixture, to produce and collape bubble contantly. Thee cavitation provided imultaneouly the mixing and heating required accelerating the traneterification proce [5]. Production can be maximized by determining the appropriate frequencie where the peak power reide. It location i aided with the built Power Spectrum Analyzer and tunable hetero-onic mixer. The Virtual Intrument code are baed on the Fat Fourier tranform and Lomb periodogram. Since the ampler i oftware baed, it i ubjected to uneven ampling pace due to priority interrupt from the Laptop microproceor. The Lomb periodogram defined a below yield an approximate Power pectrum. Where,, June 13 Page 44

4 Hetero-Sonic Methanolyi Of Palm Figure 2: The pectrogram to peak the power for cavitation frequencie with a virtual intrument. IV. RESULTS Reult by relative colour change in the reaction of onicating the traneterifcation proce appear completed compared to the conventional (without onication). The hetero-onic wave agitated the alcoxy olution mixed with oil which reulted in cavitation, thereby increaing the mixing ratio of the two liquid; conequently the time for traneterification wa dratically reduced to 30 minute a we found the BDF goldenyellowih floating on top the creamy yellow glycerol after 30 minute.it wa alo oberved that when the heteroonic irradiation power or pectral power wa reduced by half, the traneterification time extended from thirty minute (30 min.) to one hour (1 hr.). It i therefore evident that the proceing and eparation time i related to the effect of onification. Hetero-onic agitation reduce the proceing time and the eparation time ignificantly to achieve a biodieel yield in exce of 98.1%.More microbial growth were oberved (figure 3) in the cultured three month tored PKO a compared to the freh PKO (30-3 and 7 repectively). PKO wa found to preferentially promote the cultured meophilic fungi (Apergillu flavu, Apergillu niger) a compared to the thermophilic fungi (Penicillium pp, Apergillu terreu) a een in table 1. A B Figure 3: A- iolated microbe from freh PKO, B- iolated microbe from 3 month tored PKO. June 13 Page 45

5 Table 1: how effect of PKO on the growth of ome fungi. Hetero-Sonic Methanolyi Of Palm PDA with oil 1 PDA with oil 2 PDA with oil 3 PDA without oil 1 PDA without oil 2 PDA without oil 3 THERMOPHILE MESOPHILE Penicillium pp Apergillu terreu Apergillu flavu Apergillu niger 24hr 09 48h r h r h r h r 72hr 24hr 48hr 72hr 24hr 13 48hr 15 72hr IV. DISCUSSION Thu the effect of uing an ultraonic agitator for biodieel production dratically reduce the reaction time, reaction temperature, and energy input. Hence the proce of traneterification can run continuouly inline rather than uing the time conuming batch proce convectional method. An etimated production cot i N250 Naira per liter of BDF uing the hetero-onic agitator relative to N5 Naira per liter of FDF. While the conventional BDF production till tand at N4 Naira per liter. V. CONCLUSION In thi project we have contructed (Figure 4) a Hetero-onic Agitator (HA) with Acoutic Spectral Control (ASC) virtual intrument (VI) and ued it to catalyze the production of Biodieel fuel (BDF). We alo howed that Ultraonic agitation reduced the production time by 98.1 % which favor continuou production line. It therefore proved to be a promiing and an effective method for indutrial production of fatty acid methyl eter (FAME). The 98.1% reduction in production time compared to hour with the conventional production proce tranlate to reduced cot and economic advantage. Figure 4: The Hetero-onic Agitator (HA) with Acoutic Spectral Control (ASC). June 13 Page 46

6 Hetero-Sonic Methanolyi Of Palm REFERENCES [1] Adekunle, A.A and Ozonweke, 21. Production and Preervation of body and hair cream from oybean eed oil in Nigeria Journal of Science, Technology and Environment. 1: [2] Bryant R.S and Dougla J Evaluation of Microbial Sytem in Porou Media for Enhanced Oil Recovery, paper SPE 284 at the 1987 SPE Int. Symp. on Oilfield Chemitry, San Antonio. [3] Sarma, Anil K. and Sarmah, Jayanta K.,. Recent invention in biodieel production and proceing A review of Recent Patent on Engineering 2(1): [4] Sheehan, J.; Camobrew, V.; Duffield, J.; Graboki, M.; and Shapouri, H. [1998] Life cycle inventory of biodieel and petroleum dieel for ue in an urban bu. NREL [5] Sulick, Kenneth S. (1989). The Chemical Effect of Ultraound Scientific American, pp June 13 Page 47