Thesis

Development of green heterogeneous catalysts for sustainable biodiesel production from waste biomass

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2026
Thesis identifier
  • T17690
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 202076698
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • The use of alternative sources of fuels such as biodiesel produced from cost effective processes and readily available waste agricultural biomass feedstocks can help to reduce the overdependence and the resulting adverse climate effects observed with the continuous usage of fossil-based fuels. In recent times, heterogeneous base-catalytic biodiesel synthesis using transesterification technology has gained significant attention because of its several advantages including increased catalytic activity, recyclability, and decreased environmental impact compared to traditional homogeneous catalysts. This research has introduced an in-depth evaluation for the transesterification of waste Carica Papaya Seed Oil (WCPSO) into Carica Papaya Oil Biodiesel (CPOB) using three green heterogeneous catalysts (Calcined Kola Nut Pod Husk Catalysts- CKNPH A, B, & C) developed from waste kola nut pod husks. The linear, two-factor interaction, and quadratic polynomial models were compared and used to fit the data obtained in this study. The quadratic model was selected as the best model due to its high f-value (162.55), low p-value (<0.0001) and had the highest adjusted R 2 value (0.9964). The yield of biodiesel was studied under different conditions which include temperature, time, methanol-oil molar ratio and quantity of catalysts. Statistical and graphical optimization have been used to optimize the process conditions to ensure maximization of synthesis of CPOB. This is observed in the yield of biodiesel as obtained from experiments, which was 96%, while the predicted yield was 95.66%. This biodiesel yield was obtained using CKNPH A catalyst quantity of 2.5g, reaction time of 70 min, methanol-oil molar ratio of 4:1, and at a flow rate of 1000 Kg/hr. The economic feasibility studies of CPOB production process were carried out using AspenPlus simulation. The Profitability index (PI) of the process was found to be relatively low (1.29). To better understand the low PI, sensitivity analysis was carried out, and it revealed that for the PI to improve, the minimum selling price per Kilogram of biodiesel must be above 0.887 $/Kg, equivalent to 0.77 $/Liter.
Advisor / supervisor
  • Zhang, Xiaolei, 1986-
  • Li, Jun
Resource Type
DOI
Date Created
  • 2025

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