Solvent aided crystallization for purification of biodiesel synthesized from coconut oil

Abstract. According to recent studies, employing refined cooking oils can increase biodiesel purity to as high as 98.86% to 100%. The use of solvent-aided crystallization (SAC) to purify biodiesel made from unrefined coconut oil (CO), which has better qualities like reduced density and ideal viscosity that improve fuel efficiency, is, nonetheless, mostly lacking in scientific literature. By examining the efficacy of SAC in purifying coconut oil-derived biodiesel utilizing 1-butanol as the solvent, this study seeks to bridge that gap.This paper assessed the effects of several SAC parameters, including coolant temperature, crystallization duration, and stirring rate, on the purity and yield of biodiesel using a One-Factor-at-a-duration (OFAT) methodology. The outcomes showed purities ranging from 89.83% to 100%, highlighting the possibility of high purity levels being attained by coconut oil following SAC treatment in contrast to other oils such as palm oil. Significantly, crude biodiesel made from coconut oil already showed a 90% purity, which is significantly higher than the 30.63% purity usually seen in palm oil. The study produced 100% pure biodiesel by adjusting SAC parameters, such as a coolant temperature of 9°C, crystallization period of 20 minutes, and stirring rate of 201 rpm. Additional analysis of the biodiesel's physicochemical characteristics, such as density, viscosity, pour point, cloud point, total acid number, and oxidative stability, demonstrated that SAC has the potential to be an efficient and sustainable way to meet the high purity requirements needed for industrial biodiesel applications. These results imply that SAC employing 1-butanol might greatly improve the purity of biodiesel derived from coconut oil, assisting in the shift to renewable energy sources and promoting global sustainability objectives. It is advised that more study be done to improve SAC conditions and see whether it can be used with different feed stocks.