Saharman Gea, Alfa Akustia Widati, Syukri Syukri, Eddiyanto, Dian Wardana
Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (PFAD) is a residual by-product derived from the processing of crude palm oil (CPO) into cooking oil. Due to its high content of free fatty acids (FFA), PFAD is unsuitable for further utilization in food products. This study harnesses PFAD as a feedstock in the production of biodiesel, a sustainable energy source. The esterification of PFAD with methanol to generate fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) was conducted using a semi-continuous reactor equipped with an ion-exchange heterogeneous catalyst known as amberlyst. The catalyst was employed at 8% of the substrate's weight for the esterification process, which was carried out at a temperature of 115°C for 3.5 hours. To assess the progress of the reaction, aliquot samples were collected every 30 minutes, and the acid number was measured. The amberlyst catalyst was subjected to purification and could be reused for up to three cycles. The outcomes demonstrated that employing the catalyst for up to three repetitions yielded FAME products with high yields of 98.58%, 98.27%, and 97.82%, respectively. A direct relationship was observed between the FAME yield and the reduction in the acid number. The consistent yield percentages after three esterification cycles affirmed the effectiveness of the catalyst in the esterification of PFAD into FAME. © 2024 Author(s).
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jl. Bioteknologi No.1, Medan, 20155, Indonesia; Cellulosic and Functional Materials Research Centre (CFM-RC), Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jl. Bioteknologi No. 1, Medan, 20155, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Airlangga, Jalan Mulyorejo, Kampus C, Unair, Surabaya, 60115, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Andalas, Kampus Unanda, Padang, 25175, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Medan, Jalan Willem Iskandar Psr V, Medan, 20222, Indonesia
