Optimization and Characterization of Biodiesel Production from Desert Date Seed Oil (Balanites aegyptiaca) via Transesterification Reaction

Abstract

In recent years, the combustion of petroleum-based fuels has caused harmful exhaust emissions, contributing to the escalation of global warming and the greenhouse effect. Consequently, the urgency for alternative fuels has grown in our constantly evolving world. Furthermore, traditional fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, and natural gas are being depleted at a steady pace. Despite this depletion, the world's dependence on these fuels continues to increase. This pressing issue has sparked research focused on the production of biodiesel from desert date seed oils, which are both easily accessible and environmentally friendly. The study involved the transesterification of desert date seed oil, using methanol as the alcohol and NaOH as the catalyst for the reaction. The optimization process employed response surface methodology (RSM) with the Box-Behnken approach, utilizing Design Expert 13 software. The analysis of the resulting biodiesel closely matched standard values, affirming that the liquid derived from the transesterification process of desert date seed oil was indeed biodiesel. The yield of this process was 92%, consistent with the findings of Giwa et al. (2016) who reported a yield of 82%.