title: Production of biofuel from waste cooking palm oil using nanocrystalline zeolite as catalyst: process optimization studies.
abstract: The catalytic cracking of waste cooking palm oil to biofuel was studied over different types of nano-crystalline zeolite catalysts in a fixed bed reactor. The effect of reaction temperature (400-500 °C), catalyst-to-oil ratio (6-14) and catalyst pore size of different nanocrystalline zeolites (0.54-0.80 nm) were studied over the conversion of waste cooking palm oil, yields of Organic Liquid Product (OLP) and gasoline fraction in the OLP following central composite design (CCD). The response surface methodology was used to determine the optimum value of the operating variables for maximum conversion as well as maximum yield of OLP and gasoline fraction, respectively. The optimum reaction temperature of 458 °C with oil/catalyst ratio=6 over the nanocrystalline zeolite Y with pore size of 0.67 nm gave 86.4 wt% oil conversion, 46.5 wt% OLP yield and 33.5 wt% gasoline fraction yield, respectively. The experimental results were in agreement with the simulated values within an experimental error of less than 5%.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Niken
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Taufiqurrahmi
authors.forename: Abdul Rahman
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.forename: Subhash
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhatia
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D056804:Biofuels / Q000032:analysis*; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D002384:Catalysis; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003296:Cooking; D005742:Gasoline / Q000032:analysis; D015233:Models, Statistical; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D000073878:Palm Oil; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000737:chemistry*; D016062:Porosity; D013696:Temperature; D014866:Waste Products / Q000032:analysis*; D017641:Zeolites / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D005742:Gasoline; D010938:Plant Oils; D014866:Waste Products; D017641:Zeolites; D000073878:Palm Oil