Homogeneous Catalytic Transesterification of Renewable Azadirachta indica (Neem) Oil and Its Derivatives to Biodiesel Fuel via Acid/Alkaline Esterification Processes

Abstract

In this work biodiesel was prepared from the crude non-edible oil from the seeds of the neem tree ( Azardirachta indica ) using a two-step reaction systems such as acid and alkaline esterification with short chain alcohol like methanol and its physical and chemical properties of synthesized biodiesel were examined . Important fuel properties of neem oil biodiesel such as kinematic viscosity@ 40oC (5.81 cSt), density @ 15oC (0.898 g/m 3 ), flash point (175oC), pour point (8oC), total sulfur content percent by mass (0.03), ash percent by mass (0.00), carbon residue percent by mass (0.08), copper strip corrosion for 3 hour at 100oC (Not worse than No. 1), sediment percent by mass (0.00), water content percent by mass (0.00) compared well with other methyl esters. Neem oil methyl ester (NOME) has blended with conventional diesel at various proportions and its physical property of kinematic viscosity was measured at the temperature range up to 95oC. The viscosity of B20 (20% NOME + 80 % ordinary diesel) blended with diesel has 3.81 cSt at 30oC close to conventional diesel and in other blends viscosity slightly close to conventional diesel . The quantification of methyl esters was analyzed by HPLC analysis. A maximum yield of 85% biodiesel was achieved using 1:8 molar ratio of oil to methanol with 0.08% volume of acid catalyst and 1% of NaOH catalyst at 60oC by two step reaction processes.