Optimisation of Heterogeneous Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Watermelon Seed Oil

Abstract

This study focused on optimising biodiesel synthesis from watermelon seed oil catalysed by marble-periwinkle-doped barium sulphate. The oil directly underwent a transesterification reaction due to its low fatty acid value. The composite catalyst contains inherent catalytic properties of a heterogeneous catalyst for speeding up the reaction rate. The ideal parameters for the transesterification process are: methanol/oil molar ratio = 9.69, temperature = 61 ^oC, duration = 3.48 h, agitation speed = 295 rpm, catalyst concentration = 6.83 weight percent, and 88.33% biodiesel production. The transesterification process works best when the catalyst concentration is 6.83 weight percent, the methanol/oil molar ratio is 9.69, and the temperature is 61 degrees Celsius. The ideal yields of biodiesel are duration = 3.48 hours and agitation speed = 295 rpm with 88.33%. The biodiesel produced has a low kinematic viscosity of 5.9 centistokes and a good cetane number of 58.02, indicating better atomisation and efficiency in an internal combustion engine. Hence, response surface methodology efficiently optimised biodiesel manufacturing from watermelon seed oil using the marble-periwinkle-doped barium sulphate composite catalyst.