VALORIZATION OF DATE KERNELS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BIODIESEL

Abstract

This work is part of the diversification of renewable energy sources, such as biomass for example. This research focuses on the recovery of date seeds which cannot be consumed by humans and are considered as waste. For this, the physicochemical and biochemical properties of these seeds were studied and determined. The results obtained allowed us to conclude that this waste product can be valorized for the production of biodiesel. Besides, the techniques adopted to achieve the best results in terms of quality were investigated as well. In addition, the process of extracting oils from date seeds was determined using the Soxhlet extraction procedure with a volatile solvent. The results obtained showed that the oil content of date seeds was estimated at around 4% to 5%, with a very high acid number (8.9776). This was achieved by means of the esterification and transesterification reactions, which allowed producing biodiesel. This method makes it possible to produce up to 91% of biodiesel with characteristics close to those reported in previous studies and recognized by international standards.