PARAMETRIC OPTIMIZATION OF BODIESEL SYNTHESIS FROM PAWPAW SEED OIL VIA TAGUCHI APPROACH

ABSTRACT Biodiesel, a renewable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional diesel, is produced via the transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fats. The choice of feedstock significantly influences the yield and quality of biodiesel and pawpaw seed oil has been identified as a promising feedstock due to its favorable fatty acid composition and global abundance. However, optimizing the production process is crucial to enhance yield and quality. Thus, this research aimed to optimize the transesterification process parametersusing Taguchi Approach. Pawpaw seed oil was transesterified using a base-catalyzed process with methanol in the presence of potassium hydroxide as the catalyst. The process parameters optimized included methanol-to-oil ratio, catalyst dosage, reaction temperature, and reaction time. A total of 9 experimental runs were developed using Taguchi L9 orthogonal array. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the impact of individual process variables on biodiesel yield. Results indicate that the highest biodiesel yield of 98.8% was obtained at a methanol-to-oil ratio of 12:1, catalyst dosage of 2.5 wt.%, reaction temperature of 60°C, and reaction time of 45 minutes. Numerical optimization predicted a maximum biodiesel yield of 99.06% under the optimal conditions. Experimental validation carried out at the predicted optimal conditions showed good agreement, with an average yield of 98.10% and 0.96% difference from the predicted value. Analysis of variance revealed reaction temperature as the most significant factor affecting biodiesel yield. In conclusion, the Taguchi optimization approach was effective for identifying optimal biodiesel production parameters from pawpaw seed oil.