Title: optimization and characterization of biodiesel production from filter mud oil –wonji sugar factories

Abstract

Significant improvements to Ethiopia’s trade balance are needed to stimulate the required economic development. One main issue was that around 65% of Ethiopia export earnings are needed to pay for the import of petroleum products. Biodiesel can be produced from plenty of oil containing feedstock and is an alternative fuel to petroleum diesel with renewable. Production of transportation fuels was part of the effort, it reduce higher level of fossil fuel consumption. This research work was about the production of biodiesel from sugarcane filter mud oil. Sugarcane filter mud was chosen because it was non edible. Therefore; it was not a problem to human food competition. During this work the biodiesel was produced at standard material and at standard condition. The experiments were conducted using filter mud, and n-hexane as extracting solvent with the solvent extraction method by employing Soxhlet apparatus. The time used for extraction of filter mud oil was 2, 4, 6, and 8hours and a filter mud particle size between 1to 2mm. during this experimentation the maximum yield at a filter mud particle size of 1 to 1.25mm, which is 4.001g of filter mud oil was obtained. The maximum yield of filter mud oil was found at the extraction time of 6hour and the reactor temperature of 65oC. After the extraction of filter mud oil the next step was the transesterification of this oil to obtain a good quality of biodiesel. During transesterification, process the influence of methanol to filter mud oil, catalyst to filter mud oil weight ratio, reaction temperature, the rate of mixing and the reaction time was examined. The maximum biodiesel yield was obtained at the mole ratio of methanol to filter mud particle oil, catalyst to filter mud oil weight ratio, reaction temperature, the rate of mixing and the reaction time at 70.875:10.5, 0.3625:0.0906, 60oC, 600rpm and 1hour respectively, at 3.968g constituting a mass percentage of 99.17% the optimization studies and the associated results are presented and discussed along with the potential assessment. The higher heating value and Cetane number of biodiesel obtained from filter mud oil were found to be 44.18MJ/kg and 81.5 respectively