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Production of free fatty acids from waste oil by application of ultrasound

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Abstract

This paper evaluates the production of free fatty acids (FFAs) from waste oil by means of low-frequency high-intensity ultrasound application under atmospheric pressure. To evaluate the potential of this technology, the reaction between waste palm oil and ethanol was carried out. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the influence of alcohol-to-oil weight ratio, potassium hydroxide-to-oil weight ratio, and temperature on the yield of waste oil into FFA. Analysis of the operating conditions by RSM showed that the most important operating conditions affecting the reaction were ethanol-to-oil weight ratio and potassium hydroxide-to-oil weight ratio. The highest yield observed was of 97.3 % after 45 min of reaction. The best operating condition was obtained by applying an ethanol-to-oil weight ratio of 2.4, a potassium hydroxide-to-oil weight ratio of 0.3, and temperature of 60 °C.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Brazilian funding institutes CAPES and CNPq for the award of a scholarship and for the financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Engenharia Quimica, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Campus do Pici, Bloco 709, 60455-760, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil

    Larissa P. Lima, Francisco F. P. Santos, Enio Costa & Fabiano A. N. Fernandes

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  1. Larissa P. Lima
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  2. Francisco F. P. Santos
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  3. Enio Costa
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  4. Fabiano A. N. Fernandes
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Correspondence to Fabiano A. N. Fernandes.

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Lima, L.P., Santos, F.F.P., Costa, E. et al. Production of free fatty acids from waste oil by application of ultrasound. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 2, 309–315 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-012-0056-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-012-0056-0

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