Biodiesel is the monoalkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from renewable feed stocks, such as vegetable oil or animal fats, for use in compression ignition engines (Barnwal and Sharma 2005). Biodiesel is considered as representative as possible of diesel fuel often consists of methyl esters of fatty acids that can be made from triglycerides in vegetable oils by transesterification with methanol. The resulting biodiesel is quite similar to conventional diesel fuel in its main characteristics (Meher et al. 2006). One of the advantages of this fuel is that the raw materials used to produce it are natural and renewable. All these types of oils come from vegetables or animal making it biodegradable and nontoxic (Marchetti et al. 2007). …show more content…
The stoichiometric ratio for transesterification requires three moles of alcohol and one mole of triglyceride to yield three moles of fatty acid alkyl esters and one mole of glycerol. However, transesterification is an equilibrium reaction in which a large excess of alcohol is required to drive the reaction to the right. For maximum conversion to the ester, a molar ratio of 6:1 should be used. The molar ratio has no effect on acid, peroxide, saponification and iodine value of methyl esters. However, the high molar ratio of alcohol to egetable oil interferes with the separation of glycerin because there is an increase in solubility. When glycerin remains in solution, it helps drive the equilibrium to back to the left, lowering the yield of esters. The transesterification of Cynara oil with ethanol was studied at molar ratios between 3:1 and 15:1. The ester yield increased as the molar ratio increased up to a value of 12:1. The best results were for molar ratios between 9:1 and 12:1. For molar ratios less than 6:1 the reaction was incomplete. For a molar ratio of 15:1 the separation of glycerin is difficult and the apparent yield of esters decreased because a part of the glycerol remains in the biodiesel phase. Therefore, molar ratio 9:1 seems to be the most
The most classic and standard procedure for producing esters is the Fisher-esterification reaction. Discovered in 1895 by German chemists Emil Fischer and Arthur Speier 4, this reaction involves refluxing a carboxylic acid and an alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst. In order to drive the equilibrium towards the products, the water from the dehydration process must be removed and there must be an excess amount of alcohol. A vast range of carboxylic acids may be used for this reaction however the type of alcohols are limited. Primary and secondary alcohols are most frequently used in esterification reactions, tertiary alcohols are steric ally hindered usually resulting in poor yields5 and tend to undergo elimination reactions instead. In this rea...
With the fuel crisis that is happening in the world today it is now more important than ever to begin the look towards alternative fuel sources. One smart step for the US would be to wean the country slowly off of the gasoline fix and to look into alternative fuels to replace the “never coming back” fossil fuels. It turns out that Ethanol as a hybrid fuel proves to be a notable candidate for this gasoline intervention, per say. Now the United States is currently looking to subsidize fossil fuel alternatives. However, before considering ethanol production as a governmental subsidy, using large amounts of hard earned tax payer money, there has to be many alternative factors that come into play such as making sure the pros out weight the cons as far as environmental benefits and performance output and not to mention looking at the entire matter from an economic or investment perspective. First we need to consider what the ethanol we are talking about actually is and how can we obtain it.
Over the past years, planet Earth has been warming up. According to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, average temperatures have risen around1.4 degrees Fahrenheit/0.8 degrees Celsius since 1880. In fact, the rate of warming is increasing. It was reported by a number of climate studies that the last two decades were the hottest in 400 years. Global warming is a major threat to the planet. It is agreed that humans have caused most of the past century's warming by releasing greenhouse gasses, as we power our electronic lives. The “greenhouse effect” is performed when the gasses let out into Earth’s atmosphere trap heat from the sun. Through the burning of fossil fuels, humans are enhancing the greenhouse effect and increasing the temperatures of the planet. Although the greenhouse effect is what keeps the planet warm, thereby supporting life, too much would also result in severe issues. Now, with the increasing rate of greenhouse gases emissions, frozen glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, and wildlife is scrambling to keep up with the fast pace. Above that, weather can also become more and more extreme. Something has to be done.
Esterification is the process of forming ester between an acid and an alcohol. The acid in this process can be an organic acid such as carboxylic acid or an inorganic acid such as sulfuric acid. Using excess acid or alcohol and removing water are the ways to shift the equilibrium towards the products. Using excess acid or removing water distract the equilibrium so that more product forms to make the equilibrium repeatedly. In this lab, carboxylic acid and methanol were used as esterification reaction. Methanol is a good solvent treated with heat because it gives the most rapid reaction and the highest yield. The analytical methods used are melting point, IR, and TLC. Melting point decided with solids and different rf values and IR spectrum was shown due to composition change.
Did you know that you can receive a maximum of a $7,500 tax credit for just owning an electric or hybrid vehicle? The United States government values citizens that buy fuel efficient vehicles because it gets the United States one step closer to not buying outsourced oil (Jones par.14). Hybrid vehicles are vehicles that are mostly powered by gasoline, but switch over to electric at stop signs or at coasting speeds. Electric cars are cars that are solely powered by electric from start up to shut down (Motavalli par. 6). Most cars and trucks on the road today are powered by gasoline or diesel engines, which are expensive to operate, bad for the environment, and use resources that are non renewable. To achieve better fuel economy, lower operation cost, reduce the pollution on the environment, and operate vehicles with renewable resources, this world needs to take a better look at using alternative fuels to power vehicles. Alternative fuels for motor vehicles are better for the environment, are renewable resource, and are cheaper for consumers.
According to Le Châtelier's principle, if the conditions are altered while the system is at equilibrium, then the reaction will proceed in such a way as to counteract the change. It is possible to utilise the principles of Le Châtelier's to increase the final yield of butyl ethanoate. As the ester is only synthesised during reflux, the only opportunity to improve the yield of butyl ethanoate is during this stage of heating. In order to improve the yield, the theory of Le Châtelier's principle can be utilised, manipulating the conditions to produce an increased yield of ester. It is possible to achieve this desired affect by increasing the concentration of the limiting reagent butanol while the system is at equilibrium.
still have many faults and are not the best environmentally considerate option to fuel a
Introduction:The idea of biofuels is a old concept, reaching as far as the ending of the 19th century. Solid in its idea but flawed in its presentation. Biofuels are a alternative energy to fossil fuels that are made from natural methods such as plants and crops and are key in solving the apparent flaws of fossil fuels. While fossil fuels have been in use for over a century, Biofuels have now risen to the popularity and been exposed to the press. At one point of time biofuel were being considered by some of the most brilliant minds ever in human history such as Henry Ford and Rudolph Diesel who believed that biofuels had the potential to be the new evolution s on only to reappear a century later. Now the world faces the struggles of global warming and the depletion of fossil fuels slowly dimming by day. Throughout the last century biofuels have proven to have a place in our society as a new alternative fuel source. Specializing in Being Natural and healthier than fossil fuels, biofuels have had a rough beginning against its competitor due to key situations such as pricing, Side effects, to fuel power. However the idea was passed on a to the later generations, and continued to pasand prolong usage. However through the last decade they have been highly advertised by politicians and Government officials claiming it to be the future of a powerful working society, and to help in making a new energy free world. Through belief Some even claiming that “By 2050, a new generation of sustainable biofuels could provide over a quarter of the world’s total transport fuel, according to a recent report by the International Energy Agency” (last name). With such improvement biofuels should be the obvious answer to providing a better future to th...
Biodiesel is considered an environmentally friendly alternative because it reduces the amount many toxic substances. Plants such as soybeans require carbon dioxide from the air to produce their stems, roots and leaves. During biodiesel production from soybean oil, carbon dioxide is produced and released in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is considered a green house gas (GHG). However, this cycle of GHG emission does not neccersarily contribute to the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. This is because the next soybean crop will reuse the carbon dioxide emitted for its growth. Another important environmental benefit is that biodiesel reduces particulate matter (PM), hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. These benefits occur because biodiesel contains 11% oxygen by weight. Oxygen allows the fuel to burn better, resulting in fewer emissions from unburned fuel. And lastly, biodiesel fuels do not contain any sulfur and does not have an unpleasant smell when it is emitted from vehicles.
The main focus of the lab is the transesterification process, and biodiesel transportation fuel. The transesterification process is a process in organic chemistry where the alkoxy group of an ester compound is exchanged by another alcohol. The triglycerides react with an alcohol to from the esters and glycerol in a transesterification reaction. Oil is converted to biodiesel fuel using transesterification. Biodiesel fuels are liquid fuels that are produced from the oils. Biodiesel fuel
The increased use of nonrenewable fossil fossil fuels which are nonrenewable and awareness about environmental changes has been led to the development of fossil fuel alternatives such as biofuels which is , a renewable resource. From In the past few years, the researchers have been applied various methods and examined various feedstock biomass feedstock’s such as corn, sugar cane, canola, soybean and lignocellulosic crops for the production of biofuels. The primary drawback of these first and second generation biofuels are the high usage of agricultural land. which This can lead to the a food crisis, high water usage, and high production time. The An alternative solution to the current situation is is the production of biofuels from microalgae. Microalgae are single single-celled organisms that grow in a wide range of aquatic environments , from fresh water through saturated saline and have the higher lipid content compared to what?. MicroaAlgae have the capacity to produce and accumulate energy-rich oils, have natural ability to accumulate oil in its dry biomass. The genetic diversi...
The Low-Carbon fuel is good for the environment, species around it, and almost all living organisms. Almost all the oil in the U.S. contains ethanol, which is processe...
Since glycerol has three –OH (alcohol) functional groups, three fatty acids are needed to make three ester functional groups and form tri-ester of glycerol or triglyceride. In addition, water is eliminated in this process.
Lipids and triacylglycerol are naturally occurred compounds in oils and fats. The chemical composition contains saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and glycerides. Edible oils is an important component of our daily diet, that give energy, essential fatty acids and supply as a carrier of fat soluble vitamins For example, mustard oil had provided 30% of protein, calcium, phytins, phenolics and natural anti-oxidants. Besides, mustard oil has a high sum of mono-unsaturated fatty acids and a good ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which is good for the heart (Zahir et al.,
The concept of this essay is to stress that biofuels are a viable and sustainable energy source than fossil fuels, showing its advantages but not ignoring its disadvantages which also enlightens us about the cleaner and renewable natural resources. Biofuels is an alternative source of energy which can end the global dependence on fossil fuels.