Optimasiton of biodiesel production process from Non-edible rapseed using response surface method (RSM)

In recent years, due to the favorable climate conditions of Iran, rapeseed cultivation has increased significantly. Iran's canola production was 145,900 tons per year in 2010, which reached 174,999 tons per year in 2013. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility of biodiesel production from non-edible rapeseed oil using ultrasonic device. In this research, four different factors such as molar ratio, reaction time, pulse and amplitude were considered at three levels. Statistical analysis using Designe Exeprt software, response surface method (RSM) and Box Behnken layout was used to identify the optimal conditions of the process. After analyzing the data and optimizing the biodiesel production process, the biodiesel yield was 89.26% under the optimized conditions, i.e., a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 4.87:1, pulse of 0.99 s, amplitude 73.5%, and a reaction time of 3.77 min. The biodiesel prepared from None-edible rapeseed oil complies with the criteria dictated by EN 14112 standards. So, the produced biodiesel from none-edible rapeseed can be used as an alternative fuel for a diesel engine.