The rapid depletion of fossil fuel resources, rising fuel costs, and growing environmental concerns have highlighted the urgent need for sustainable and eco-friendly alternative energy sources . Among these, biodiesel derived from renewable resources has gained significant global attention. Vegetable oils, particularly non-edible varieties, present a viable alternative fuel for compression ignition (CI) engines when converted into biodiesel. Pongamia Pinnata (Ponamia Pinnata) oil, a non-edible vegetable oil, is abundantly available in Ponamia Pinnata-producing countries such as India (. However, limited research has been conducted on its utilization and the optimization of its transesterification process.
Due to the high free fatty acid (FFA) content (3.3%), direct base-catalyzed transesterification of Pongamia Pinnata oil was ineffective in producing biodiesel. Consequently, an acid pretreatment step was employed to reduce the FFA level to 0.9%, enabling successful base-catalyzed transesterification. This study investigated key process parameters including oil-to-methanol molar ratio (1:8, 1:12, and 1:16), catalyst type (NaOH, KOH, and NaOCH₃), catalyst concentration (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt.%), and reaction temperature (59°C, 64°C, and 69°C).
The optimal conditions for transesterification were identified as a 1:12 oil-to-methanol molar ratio, 1.0 wt.% KOH catalyst concentration, and a reaction temperature of 64°C, resulting in a maximum yield of 89.8% Pongamia Pinnata methyl ester (MOME). The properties of the produced biodiesel conformed to the EN 14214 standard, confirming its suitability as a CI engine fuel. Under these conditions, the process yielded a maximum PPME conversion of 94.8%, confirming the effectiveness of the optimized settings.
Keywords: Biodiesel, Pongamia Pinnata , Transesterification, Pretreatment, Non-edible Oils, Renewable Energy.