OPTIMIZATION AND EVALUATION OF BIODIESEL QUALITY PRODUCED FROM CATTLE FAT USING CaO/Al2O3 AS CATALYST

Biodiesel was produced from cattle fat, In transesterification method usingCaO and Al 2 O 3 ascatalyst. The catalyst was also characterized by XRD pattern, SEM and FTIR analysis. Response Surface Methodology using Central Composite Design (CCD) was used to determine the optimum operating conditions for the biodiesel yield.   The result showed that catalyst CaO/Al 2 O 3 give maximum biodiesel yield of 99.37% with methanol to oil ratio, catalyst dosage and reaction temperature of (10.5:1), (3.5) and (50 0 C) respectively. The fuel parameters of the biodiesel produced and its blend are close to commercially available petrol diesel, indicating that the two could be blended together in order to minimize the environmental effects of the petroleum diesel. The fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) composition of the biodiesels was determined using Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrophotometer (GC-MS). The fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) profile indicates that the dominants compounds in biodiesel are ester compounds. The thermodynamic and kinetics of the biodiesel produced was investigated to check the feasibility, order of the biodiesel. It was found to be non-spontaneous and endergonic. The biodiesel and its blend quality were asses using and it was found out to be low in B 100 but high in B 20 indicating that the biodiesel produced from waste cattle fat have high quality and can be used for engines.