Synthesis of biodiesel from grape seed oil using ultrasound irradiation

Abstract

Biodiesel is a mixture of fatty esters obtained by transesterification of triglycerides with low molecular weight alcohols, such as methanol and ethanol. The transesterification reaction is slow at room temperature and therefore require the use of catalysts. In this work, conventional heating sources were replaced by ultrasound in the presence of KOH and methanol. The oil was obtained from grape seed, a byproduct of the wineries. The biodiesel was obtained in 97% yield, at the time of 30 minutes and the fatty acids of grape oil were characterized by gas chromatography and evaluated the parameters viscosity, iodine, and acidic saponification.