Publication
Abstract:This study developed and evaluated a low-cost biodiesel batch reactor with an integrated washing system for processing waste cooking oil into biodiesel. The reactor was fabricated from locally available materials and designed to perform transesterification and water washing in the same vessel to reduce equipment requirements and simplify purification. Two catalyst systems, KOH and NaOH, were tested using identical volumes of waste cooking oil and methanol. The resulting biodiesel samples were analyzed for kinematic viscosity, specific gravity, and pour point following ASTM methods, and preliminary engine observations were conducted on a 12 HP diesel engine using different biodiesel blends. The KOH mixture produced slightly more biodiesel than the NaOH mixture, and bothsamples met the standard limits for viscosity and pour point. Specific gravity values were slightly below the ASTM range but remained close to acceptable limits for small-scale applications. Engine observations provided initial insights into smoke characteristics and fuel behavior, although the tests were qualitative and conducted without load. The cost comparison showed that the fabricated reactor was significantly more affordable than commercially available units, while offering a larger working capacityand built-in washing capability. The findings demonstrate the technical feasibility of producing biodiesel from waste cooking oil using an affordable, locally fabricated reactor and highlight its potential value for community-level fuel production. Further studies with controlled reaction conditions, replicated trials, and standardized engine testing are recommended to strengthen performance evaluation.
Keywords:renewable energy source, low-cost biodiesel generator, waste cooking oil, UN Sustainable Development Goals
Abstract:Biogas significantly reduces the environment's vast supply of animal manure and food waste, which causes nitrogen and water pollution. Biogas is a sustainable fuel created when microorganisms decompose organic matter, such as food or animal waste, without oxygen, which is known as anaerobic digestion. This study considered vegetable waste (VW) and horse dung as substrates in producing biogas. The study aims to generate biogas in 34 kg of mixed vegetable waste and horse dung into two designs of experiments with different proportions and study how these proportions affect the amount of biogas produced within the period of 10 and 13 days. This study employed an experimental research design wherein data were collected through surveys, timely observations, and primarily through experiments. After ten days, the first experiment produced yellow with a little blue, while the second experiment produced blue with a little yellow. Likewise, after 13 days, the mixed waste consisting of 30% each of VW and Horse manure wasfed into the digester (experiment 1) and lasted 3.22 minutes. In contrast, the mixed waste, consisting of 20% VW and 40% Horse dung, was fed into the digester (experiment 2) for 7.22 minutes. Furthermore, both experiments produced blue with a little bit of yellow. On water temperature, experiments 1 and 2 were able to boil 200ml of water from 3°C to 5.20°C and 6.10°C, respectively. These results signify the effectiveness and efficiency of the chosen substrate in producing biogas. It is recommended that future research in the same field shall consider economy and comparison between different substrates. Also, to measure biogas's heat capacity and design a digester with catalyst and substrate mixer.
Keywords:Substrate, sustainable fuel, methanogenic bacteria, biogasification
On-going
Sorry, but there’s nothing here.
Presentation
- Development and Performance Evaluation of Seismic Gapp Biaxial Portable Shake Table (2025)
Citations
Sorry, but there’s nothing here.
IP Registration
Sorry, but there’s nothing here.