Microwave-assisted intensification of transesterification reaction for biodiesel production from camelina oil: Optimization by Box-Behnken Design

The structure of hydrocarbon chain of fatty acids is similar to the petroleum products. Therefore, they are an ideal alternative for petroleum lubricant and diesel fuel, due to their renewability and biodegradability. In this study, intensification of transesterification reaction using microwave heating was applied to produce biodiesel with camelina oil. The heat energy required for the reaction was supplied by a microwave with a mechanical stirrer. H-NMR was used to analyze the transesterification reaction yield. The parameters namely reaction time, catalyst load and molar ratio of methanol to oil were investigated to maximize the yield using RSM-BBD design. The results showed that the highest biodiesel yield of 95.31% (desirability of 95%) was obtained at the reaction time of 5.85 min, catalyst concentration of 1.26 wt%, and the molar ratio of 6.91. Moreover, the physicochemical characteristics of the produced biodiesel could meet the requirements of EN14214 and ASTM D6751 biodiesel standards.