Methanolysis of sunflower oil and used frying oil using LiNO₃/CaO as a solid base catalyst

Abstract

The conversion of sunflower oil and used frying oil to methyl esters (biodiesel) was studied using lithium nitrate loaded on calcium oxide as heterogeneous catalyst. Reaction parameters such as catalyst concentration, methanol to oil ratio, reaction time and agitation speed on the conversion of sunflower and used frying oil were investigated. The catalyst loaded LiNO₃ of 35% m/m on CaO, after being calcined at 750°C for 6 h, was found to be the optimum catalyst. The quality of the methyl esters was tested according to the European Standard ELOT EN 14214. The two types of biodiesel produced, seemed to meet all the parameters of the European Standard except the oxidation stability, acid value and the glycerol content for the used frying oil methyl ester only.

Keywords:

• heterogeneous catalyst
• transesterification
• biodiesel
• loading of LiNO₃ on CaO
• calcination