Prospect of Biodiesel from Sludge Palm Oil in Malaysia

Abstract

High feedstock costs make biodiesel production impractical and economically unfeasible, particularly as most feedstocks are unknown for performance. Waste oil, such as sludge palm oil (SPO), may be used to produce biodiesel. This study examined the efficiency and prospect of Sludge Palm Oil Biodiesel (SPOB) production from SPO through transesterification. One-step and two-step transesterification methods were performed for SPOB conversion. However, only a two-step method was effective in converting SPO into SPOB. SPO's high free fatty acid (FFA) content necessitated a two-step process to reduce FFAs to less than 4% before SPOB conversion. Step 1 yielded 78% SPOB at 2 hours, 0.03:1 acid catalyst–to–oil, and 8:1 alcohol–to–oil. The optimal SPOB yield for step 2 at 4 hours, 0.01:1 alkaline catalyst–to–oil, and 9:1 alcohol–to–oil was 78%. SPOB components were analyzed using FTIR with SPOB having a 1435.04 cm-1 methyl peak. The diesel engine performance test mixed SPOB with mineral diesel at different concentrations with 30% SPOB blends in mineral diesel offers the lowest fuel consumption (0.1089 ml/s), maximum braking horsepower (24.9266 rpm), and best mechanical efficiency. Density, flash point, and heating value were also tested to identify SPOB's physical characteristics and discussed in detail.