In this study, the feasibility of using calcined cocoa pod husk ash (CCPA) as catalyst for the transesterification of Azadirachta indica seed oil (AISO) into biodiesel was investigated. Due to high free fatty acid (FFA) of AISO used, the oil was initially pretreated and the process was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). Optimum conditions obtained were oil/methanol molar ratio of 2.19, Fe2SO4 of 6 wt.%, and time of 15 min, which reduced the acid value to 1.80 mg KOH/g. Optimization of the transesterification of AISO into biodiesel was carried out using artificial neural network (ANN) coupled with rotation inherit optimization. The optimum conditions established were oil/methanol ration of 0.73, CCPA of 0.65 wt.% and time of 57 min with a corresponding predicted Azadirachta indica oil (AIOME) yield of 99.21wt.%. This was experimentally varied as 99.26 wt.%. The AIOME specifications were within the limits of the European biodiesel quality standard (EN 14112). The results demonstrated that cocoa pod husk could serve as feedstock for biodiesel production.

Potential of cocoa pod husk as a heterogeneous solid catalyst for the transesterification of non-edible Azadirachta indica (neem) seed oil into methyl esters: A case of modeling and optimization studies

249th National Meeting (2015)

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