[Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS]

[16/12/2015]

Project Proposal: [Biodiesel Production]

Background
Biodiesel is becoming a trend for future alternating source for petroleum. Therefore
this project will be focusing on biodiesel production from waste cooking oil and crude
jatropha oil.

Objectives

Reducing the formation of soap

Prevent damage to the zeolite

Scope
This project will fully focus to tackle all the problems which are undergone currently
such as soap formation and zeolite catalyst is crushed to smaller pieces during ion
exchange. By end of this project it is targeted the soap formation can be reduce up to
90% and zeolite can be reused up to 10 times process. There will some research to be
done to reach the target;
1. Reducing soap formation
Planned to use drying agent in the reactor column such as water absorbing
polymer or chemical absorbent. These drying agents could reduce the moisture
content during the process that lead to saponification.
2. Prevent damage to the zeolite
For current situation, zeolite is crushed into smaller pieces during each ion
exchange process. As a result, 1 set of zeolite can be only reused up to
maximum of 2 times for biodiesel production. When zeolite is crushed into
smaller pieces, it is hard for the mixture to pass through it. Therefore in order to
tackle this situation, the way of ion exchange needs to be modified so that
zeolite is not crushed into smaller pieces when compared with the original size.

Timeframe
Phase One
Phase Two

Description of Work
Capability of reuse zeolite
Reducing soap formation

Start and End Dates

28/12/2015-29/1/2016
1/2/2016-26/2/2016

Monitoring and Evaluation

At the end of this project it is targeted that this project will be a successful by tackling
all the problems that currently undergone. A short term research will be done
accordingly to achieve all the objectives and get the desired result. Therefore the
targeted result will reducing soap formation up to 90% and zeolite can be reused for
next biodiesel production without any damage to it.

Prepared by,

DINESHKUMAR
DINESHKUMAR A/L
G.RAMACHANDRAN
Internship Trainee