PREPARATION AND ANALYSIS OF BIODIESEL FROM COCONUT OIL

Abstract

The making of Biodiesel using coconut oil was examined, through the transesterification process. The coconut oil was reacted with methanol in the presence of a catalyst (sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide) to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) the primary components of biodiesel and glycerol as a by-product. The obtained biodiesel was purified and characterized using physicochemical parameters such as density Viscosity mPa·s of 170-171, flash point range from to 260-270, pH meter 7.33 , saponification value mg KOH /g, 322.6 , acid value mg KOH /g 11.22 , and Iodine value gl2/100g 2.23 respectively. The biodiesel was analyzed by all this tests and the results were compared with standard biodiesel and petro-diesel properties. The results indicated that the biodiesel produced by coconut oil showed a very good properties for biodiesel production, yielding a high-quality fuel with properties within ASTM and EN biodiesel standards.