MICROWAVE ASSISTED BIODIESEL PRODUCTION OF COTTON SEED OIL

Abstract

Rapid depletion in petroleum reserves, and increasing cost of fuels and increasing pollution in the environment due to these fossil fuels have stimulated the search for the alternatives to petroleum based fuels. Biomass derived vegetable oils are quite promising alternative fuels for agriculture and transport diesel engines. Different types of vegetable oils like jatropha oil, cotton seed oil, linseed oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, karanja oil etc. can be converted into biodiesel to be used as bio-fuels. Only problem of cotton seed oil is its high viscosity and low volatility. To overcome these problems transesterification is done. Transesterification is the process in which vegetable oil is treated with ethyl/methyl alcohol in presence of a catalyst. In this experimental investigation we have prepared the biodiesel from cotton seed oil by conventional method and microwave heating method and studied the effect of different parameters like reaction time, change in catalyst percentage and change in molar ratio on the yield of biodiesel production. Production of biodiesel by using microwave energy technique proves to be most efficient method among all other methods.