Evaluation of the reaction conditions in the transesterification of canola oil for biodiesel production

Abstract

The development of renewable fuels has received great attention in recent years. Fatty acid esters, known as biodiesel, are promising for partially or total diesel replacement. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the reaction conditions of transesterification of refined canola oil and a quality of biodiesel produced. The influence of the different alkaline catalysts, the catalyst amount, stirring speed, molar ratio of oil:alcohol and the alcohol type were assessed. The ester yield in the best reaction conditions were 96.1 ± 1.26% for ethanol and 95.32 ± 2.68% for methanol. The biodiesel produced was analyzed according to the ANP (Agência Nacional de Petróleo, Gás Natual e Biodiesel) quality norms. The esters showed good quality in relation to the cold filter plugging point, oxidation stability and the cetane number.