Temperature Effect on the Transesterification Process of Used Cooking Oil with a CaO-MgO Catalyst in the Biodiesel Production

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of temperature on the transesterification process of used cooking oil using CaO-MgO catalysts for biodiesel production. Temperature is a crucial factor in determining the efficiency of the transesterification reaction. The research examines a range of reaction temperatures from 50°C to 80°C to identify the optimal temperature that achieves the highest biodiesel conversion rate. The findings reveal that as the reaction temperature increases, biodiesel conversion also increases, reaching an optimum point. Beyond this optimum temperature, a decrease in conversion efficiency is observed, likely due to the reverse reaction. The use of a heterogeneous CaO-MgO catalyst, activated at 600°C for 5 hours, proves to be effective in the transesterification process, producing biodiesel that complies with the SNI 7182:2015 standards. The optimal reaction temperature identified in this study is 60°C, resulting in a biodiesel yield of 85.53%. The produced biodiesel exhibits desirable properties, including a density of 875 kg/m³, a viscosity of 4.2 cSt, a flash point of 183°C, a calorific value of 8001 cal/g, and a cetane number of 48.3. These results underscore the importance of controlling reaction temperature and using an efficient catalyst to maximize biodiesel production quality and yield.