KINETIC MODELING OF ALGAL TRIGLYCERIDES TRANSESTERIFICATION FOR SUSTAINABLE BIODIESEL PRODUCTION

Author

Buhari Labaran, Mohammed Mukhtar Mohammed, Auwal Sarkinnoma, Warji Muhammad Ibrahim


Abstract

 The global demand for clean and sustainable energy has intensified due to environmental challenges associated with fossil fuels combustion. This study investigated the conversion of oil extracted from algal biomass (Chlorella vulgaris) into biodiesel and evaluated the kinetic behavior of the transesterification process. The Chlorella vulgaris cultivated at Gubi Dam, Bauchi was extracted using n-hexane and the oil was transerified into biodiesel using methanol and KOH as catalyst. The physicochemical characteristics of the oil and the biodiesel were evaluated, while GC-MS and FT-IR were used to analyzed the fatty acid profile and functional groups of the fatty acid methyl ester. The Physicochemical analysis revealed transesterification reduced the viscosity from 36.52 to 3.65 mm²/s at 40 °C and the density from 960 kg/m³ to 866 kg/m³. The biodiesel met ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 limits for viscosity, density, flash point (152 °C), iodine value (31.74 g I₂/100 g) and cetane number (63.43). It also had a high heating value of 38.35 MJ/kg. Its acid value (3.02 mg KOH/g), however, exceeded the 0.50 mg KOH/g limit. GC-MS showed a fatty acid profile dominated by saturated fatty acids (C8:0–C22:0), with oleic and linoleic acids also present. FT-IR showed a strong ester carbonyl band at 1742.5 cm⁻¹, confirming conversion to methyl esters. Kinetic data were fitted to zeroth-, first- and second-order models. The first-order model gave the best fit (R² = 0.997, k = 0.007 min⁻¹), followed by the second-order (R² = 0.986) and zeroth-order (R² = 0.953) models. Algal triglyceride transesterification therefore follows first-order kinetics under the conditions studied, and algal oil is a viable feedstock for biodiesel production.  



Keywords

algal oil, biodiesel, transesterification, kinetic modelling, first-order kinetics



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References


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