Transesterification Reaction on Biodiesel Production from Bintaro Oil (Cerbera mangas L.) from Moluccas Island

Research on the conversion of bintaro seed oil (Cerbera manghas L.) into biodiesel has been conducted utilizing a KOH catalyst. The biodiesel synthesis involved two reaction stages: esterification and transesterification. The esterification process was executed with a 1.25% H2SO4 (1 M) catalyst, utilizing a methanol-to-oil ratio of 1:9, at a temperature range of 60-65°C for a duration of 2 hours. Following the separation of methanol and triglycerides, transesterification proceeded with a methanol ratio of 1:12, which had previously reacted with KOH catalyst at varying weight percentages of 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5%. The transesterification reaction was conducted over a period of 2 hours at a temperature of 60-65°C. The optimal weight percentage of KOH catalyst identified for the transesterification reaction in the synthesis of biodiesel from bintaro seed oil was determined to be 0.3% KOH catalyst. The resultant biodiesel was subsequently characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Physical property tests of the biodiesel fuel, conducted in accordance with ASTM methods, yielded a specific density of 0.8878 g/cm³, a kinematic viscosity of 6 mm²/s, a flash point of 132.5°C, and a pour point of 9°C.