The Production of Biodiesel from A Traditional Coconut Oil Using NaOH/γ-Al2O3 Heterogeneous Catalyst

Abstract

Biodiesel is an alternative energy fuel a substitute for diesel oil produced from vegetable oil or animal fat which has the advantage of being easy to use, because they are biodegradable, not toxic and sulfur free. This research aims to do a process of producing biodiesel using base catalysts (NaOH/γ-Al2O3) for a transesterification process with the variation of catalyst concentration (1%; 2%; 3%; 4% and 5%) and the time (60; 120; 180; 240 and 300). The production of biodiesel from coconut oil is making by the ratio of oil mass: ethanol = 1:2. Research of methodology started with the analysis of the material, the process of making the NaOH/γ-Al2O3 catalysts and transesterifications for biodiesel production. The product was analyzed by viscosity, density, and GC-MC to identify the fatty acid methyl esters composting the biodiesel. In conclusion, the best conversion of biodiesel from coconut oil using NaOH catalyst is 3% concentration with a 180 minutes reaction time.