Studies on Production of Biodiesel from Algae

0*, Ch. V. Ramachandra Murthy**
* Research Scholar, JNTUK, Kakinada & Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, MVGR College of Engineering, Vizianagaram, India.
** President, Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, Kolkata, India.
Periodicity:November - January'2015
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jfet.10.2.3095

Abstract

Renewable energy is gaining more and more popularity due to various reasons such as crude prices which are going up day by day and global warming due to burning of fossil fuels. Biodiesel produced from algae, thus crude fossil petroleum can be substituted by mass cultured biomass's algae for eco-sustainable biodiesel production in the near future. In the present study, biodiesel is synthesized as per ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) method by using algae as a raw material which environmentally is considered as a harmful waste and blooms in ponds, lakes and reservoirs. In order to improve fuel quality, trans-esterification process was carried out to remove fatty acids and thereafter, various fuel parameters of the biodiesel have been determined. The calorific value of the bio-diesel and density was 42660 kJ/kg   0.86608 g/cm3 respectively. The viscosity of the sample was found to be 1.9985. The cetane number of diesel fuel ranges from 40 to 55 and for biodiesel, it was found to be 47. The flash point and fire point of the sample was recorded as 80o C and 94o C respectively. This oil has been blended with diesel and ignited in single cylinder diesel engine to analyze the performance of diesel engine. The process does not require high end technology, hence can be used in the energy generation process in remote areas and also as alternative resources too.

Keywords

Algae, Biodiesel, Diesel, Trans-Esterification, Residue.

How to Cite this Article?

Sastry , S.V.A.R., and Murthy, Ch. V. R. (2015). Studies on Production of Biodiesel from Algae. i-manager’s Journal on Future Engineering and Technology, 10(2), 10-20. https://doi.org/10.26634/jfet.10.2.3095

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