D. KAVYA AND S. T. GIRISH
Abstract
The used edible palm oil and non-edible Pongamia oil were subjected to acidic, basic and alkaline trans-esterification process. The process was carried out using a suitable catalyst: acidic - HCl, alkaline - NaOH and enzymatic - 4% of immobilized lipase using standard protocols. The obtained bio-diesels were determined for its physico-chemical parameters and compared with Jatropha bio-diesel, ASTM D6751-PS121 and European 14212 standards. Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMEs) analysis was determined to study its efficiency using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) method. The study revealed Pongamia biodiesel to be more efficient than palm bio-diesel. Further study of palm bio-diesel is necessary as it also shows the similarity with standards but was found to be less efficient when compared to Pongamia bio-diesel.