Thesis Archive

Conversion of Lignocelluloses into bioethanol utilizing hardwood sawdust used for pleurotus ostreatus cultivation (2010)

Haw, Leni Rose Mendoze, Keicy Marie

Abstract:

-Fatty acid methyl esters derived from Tamarindus indica seed oil is evaluated as an alternative feedstock for biodiesel production. Two types of tamarind biodiesel were tested: sweet tamarind and sour tamarind. Preparation of the seeds (steaming and drying) was compared. The ratio of the oil obtained in steaming to the oil obtained in drying is found to be 1.75:1 for sour tamarind and 14:1 for sweet tamarind. Oil was extracted using solvent extraction with hexane in Soxhlet extractor and mechanical shaker. In comparison of oil percentage, sour tamarind seeds appeared to have higher oil content (9.37%) compared to sweet tamarind seeds (3.28%). The fatty acid profile of the oil was obtained using the PerkinElmers gas chromatograph equipped with the flame ionization detector (FID). Both tamarind oils were found to have long chained fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids. The free fatty acid content of sour and sweet tamarind seed oil are obtained as 5.0 and 3.8 respectively. A two-stage process was done with sulfuric acid as catalyst in acid esterification and sodium hydroxide as catalyst in transesterification. The quality of the biodiesel obtained from the transesterification process is tested/predicted and compared with three standards (PNS2020:2003, ASTM D6751-08, and EN14214). The values obtained are: acid value 0.58 mg KOH/g, cetane number 72, cloud point 18°C, flash point 137°C, density 0.856 g/cm3, iodine value 152 gI/100g, kinematic viscosity 3.75 mm2/s and sulfated ash 0.022%m for the sweet tamarind; acid value 0.76 mg KOH/g, cetane number 75, cloud point 23°C, flash point 128°C, density 0.876 g/cm3, iodine value 155 gI/100g, kinematic viscosity 3.55 mm2/s and sulfated ash 0.037%m for the sour tamarind. Majority of the tested and predicted properties were able to meet with the three standards except for the iodine value. Tamarindus indica seed oil may be considered as an alternative feedstock for biodiesel in the Philippines. However, the use of this feedstock in countries with colder climates might give problems due to the higher cloud point of the fuel.

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