Biodiesel Production from Greenseed Canola Oil

Greenseed canola oil is low-grade oil with a green color. Because of the high level of chlorophyll, this oil is considered as a "waste product" and cannot be used for edible purposes. In this research, biodiesel was produced from canola oil and greenseed canola oil via KOH-catalyzed transesterification with methanol, ethanol, and a mixture of methanol and ethanol. The reaction was conducted at 60 degrees C and a stirring speed of 600 rpm for 90 min. Prior to transesterification, greenseed canola oil was bleached to remove pigments using various adsorbents at different conditions. The optimum bleaching material was found to be montmorillonite K10. The pigment content was reduced from 94 to 0.5 ppm with using 7.5 wt % of this material at 60 degrees C and a stirring speed of 600 rpm for 30 min. Biodiesel derived from the treated greenseed canola oil showed an improvement in oxidative stability (induction time of 0.7 h) as compared to that derived from crude greenseed canola oil (induction time of 0.5 h). In addition, it was found that the amounts of unsaturated compounds as well as pigments contained in oil had an adverse effect on the oxidative stability of biodiesel.