Development and Characterization of Biodiesel: Analyzing Properties Through GC-MS and Fuel Analyzer
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38032/scse.2025.3.92Keywords:
Biodiesel, Transesterification, GC-MS, Alternative energy, Fuel analyzerAbstract
This study examines the production and characterization of biodiesel which is derived from soybean oil through the use of a transesterification process. Biodiesel formed via the chemical reaction of soybean oil and methanol in the presence of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as a catalyst. The resulting biodiesel samples were analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Fuel analyzer. The highest yield of methyl ester was obtained by using 60 mL methanol, 250 mL Soyabean oil and 1.4 g NaOH was used as a catalyst. The reaction was carried out at 60 °C for 3h. Among the four primary methyl esters, hexadecenoic acid methyl ester is the dominating ingredient in the combination, with the greatest yield of 11%. The fuel properties of the synthesized biodiesel were evaluated and contrasted with conventional diesel. Notably, the biodiesel exhibited a cetane number of 68.4, considerably higher than that of pure diesel, indicating superior ignition quality. But compared to diesel, biodiesel was shown to have much lower flash and fire points, which could make handling and storage more difficult. These findings show the possibility of soybean oil-derived biodiesel as a viable alternative to traditional diesel, with its higher cetane number enabling increased combustion efficiency. Nevertheless, the decreased flash and fire thresholds demand more work to improve the safety properties of the biodiesel.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Md. Anowar Hossain, Ummey Rayhan, Md. Mamun, Anik Talukder, Fatema Tuz Zahra, Shuvo Chandra Das (Author)
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