Utilization of Triglycerides from Spent Coffee Grounds to Create Methyl Esters through Transesterification

Overview

Objectives/Goals Converting lipids extracted from used coffee grounds into usable biodiesel efficiently by using a strong acid catalyst and comparing it to other fuels, such as vegetable biodiesel and Diesel No. 2. Methods/Materials Extracted oil from used coffee grounds using a Soxhlet extractor. Then put the oil through a transesterification process using methanol and Sulfuric Acid as the strong acid catalyst by letting it reflux. After filtering it and taking out the layer of biodiesel, it was put through a GC/MS test to find the concentration of methyl ester groups inside, as well as the percent of biodiesel recovered. The energy density was also found using a calorimeter. Results The coffee biodiesel samples contained about 62.69% biodiesel, while the vegetable biodiesel yielded about 80.1%. They had an average energy density of 2095.71 calories/gram of fuel, while the vegetable biodiesel had 2246.8 cal/g and the Diesel No. 2 had 2265.65 cal/g. Conclusions/Discussion The experiment was successful in that an efficient way of creating biodiesel from used coffee grounds was found. The unwanted residue left behind after the transesterification process was reduced significantly, increasing the yield. The energy density is comparable to that of Diesel No. 2 and vegetable biodiesel. This project also has potential to be produced on a larger scale as most of the chemicals, such as hexane, can be recycled and be used for future processes.

Competition history

• CSEF 2017 Chemistry · Entry S0620

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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