Optimization of transesterification of biodiesel using green catalyst derived from Albizia Lebbeck Pods by mixture design

The present investigation involves the production of biodiesel from Rubber Seed Oil (RSO) using a novel carbon based lignocelluloses material Albizia Lebbeck Pods (ALP). Carbonized char is prepared from ALP which is chemically activated by concentrated sulphuric acid and sodium bicarbonate. The prepared activated carbon was characterized by proximate-ultimate analysis; BET surface area, iodine number, FTIR analysis, XRD, SEM analysis and particle size distribution. The Activated Carbon (AC) was impregnated with NaOH and KOH with different mixing ratio and the process is optimized using mixture design. It is found that the 97.2% maximum yield was obtained for the mix ratio of 3: 1.6: 1.4 (KOH: NaOH: AC). The physicochemical properties of rubber seed methyl ester is examined using ASTM and EN Standards. Evaluating with all the models, the results show that the quadratic and cubic model in the mixture design exhibit the excellent fit. It shows good R-2, adjusted R-2 and predicted R-2 values. The experimental investigation confirmed that the potential use of ALP is the herald material for the preparation of AC. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.