Seashells Lab Report

2. Experimental
2.1 Materials
Cyrotopleura costata seashells were collected from the coast of Lhoknga, Aceh Besar (Indonesia). The refined bleached deodorized palm oil was provided by a local palm oil mill. The palm oil, methanol 99.8% (Aldrich) and deionized water were used as recieved. Microwave assisted transesterification experiments were conducted in a modified Panasonic’s NN-ST 342M model microwave unit, working at fequency of 2.45 GHz and maximum power output 800 W. The system was equipped with a magnetic stirrer unit to allow continuous stirring. Conventional type reaction was performed in a 0.5 L stainless steel stirred reactor, supplied from the Karl Kurt Juchheim (Germany).

2.2 Catalyst Preparation and Characterization
Seashells

Different catalyst loading (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt% based on the oil weight) and reaction time (0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 min) were selected for the transesterification reactions. Fig. 1 shows arrangement of microwave reactor for the present experiments. The oil, methanol, and the catalyst were charged into a 250 ml bottle with screw-cap which was then placed inside the microwave oven. During the reaction, the microwave oven was run with heating set at low-micropower, and the reaction mixure was agitated by magnetic stirring. Thereafter, the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature. The catalyst was separated from the product mixture by filtration. The reaction mixture was settled in a separatory funnel, and the biodiesel phase (upper layer) was obtained after settling overnight. Finally, the biodiesel was washed with warm water three times, and dried by adding sodium sulfate. The yield of biodiesel was evaluated by gravimetric

The chemical changes were analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrophotometer (Model 8400S, Shimadzu) equipped with Interferometer to eliminate the effect of H2O and CO2 in the surrounding atmosphere. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content of the biodiesel sample was determined with a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) (Model QP2010 Plus, Shimadzu) equipped with flame ionization detector (FID) and an Rtx-5MS column (0.25 mm ID and 30 m long, Restek). The fatty acids were identified by comparing the retention times with those of standard fatty acids. Their composition was calculated based on the corresponding peak areas in the