Avaliação experimental da produção do biodiesel do óleo de soja pela metodologia de radiação por micro-ondas

Abstract

Biodiesel production in the world needs new, more efficient production methodologies. The main producers of biodiesel in the world carry out the process in the conventional way, although several researchers have identified that the organic reactions produced by heating the irradiation with microwaves, present reduced times and higher yields than the conventional process. In this way, the objective of this work consists in the development of a methodology for the production of a biodiesel-type biofuel by microwave irradiation, using national raw material (methyl alcohol). As catalyst, commercial potassium hydroxide KOH was implemented, and soybean oil as base fluid. An experimental design was carried out with two control variables, molar ratio and reaction time. The results showed all yields above 95%. Highlighting 3 experiments, biodiesel 3, with molar ratio 1:12 and transesterification time 2 minutes, in which a yield of 100% was obtained, biodiesel 4, with molar ratio 1:6 and transesterification time 2 minutes, with a yield of 97.9%, and biodiesel 6, with a molar ratio of 1:12 and transesterification time of 0.34 minutes, in which a yield of 100% was obtained, the latter being the most promising result of the work, as it presented a complete conversion of the oil to methyl esters in a short time. In addition, for the three mentioned biodiesels, their physicochemical properties were calculated, in which they presented values within the limits allowed by the different national and international biodiesel standards. The gas and mass chromatography test (GC-MS) was also performed, which showed a high content of methyl esters, and the energy analysis of biodiesel production using microwave irradiation technology was presented. Thus, it was concluded that through the methodology developed in this work it was possible to produce biodiesel with high percentages of conversion to methyl esters, in addition to complying with the standards for its subsequent use in internal combustion engines.