Modeling and optimization of Thevetia peruviana (yellow oleander) oil biodiesel synthesis via Musa paradisiacal (plantain) peels as heterogeneous base catalyst: A case of artificial neural network vs. response surface methodology

In this work, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the pretreatment step (esterification) while the transesterification step was optimized using both RSM and artificial neural network (ANN). The acid value of yellow oleander oil (YOO) with high FFA was reduced to 1.72 mgKOH g(-1) by esterification with a statistically significant quadratic model at the optimal condition of methanol-oil ratio 0.35 (v/v), H2SO4 0.78% (v/v), reaction time 60 min and reaction temperature 55 degrees C. RSM predicted optimal condition for the transesterification was methanol-oil ratio 0.3 (v/v), reaction time 1.5 h and calcinated plantain peels (CPP) amount 3.0% (w/v) with yellow oleander oil biodiesel (YOOB) yield of 95.25% (w/w), which was validated as 94.87% (w/w) while ANN predicted optimal condition was methanol-oil ratio 0.3 (v/v), reaction time 1.25 h and CPP amount 2.8% (w/v) with YOOB yield of 94.97% (w/w), which was validated as 95.09% (w/w). The results obtained showed that ANN was a better and more efficient optimization tool than RSM due to its higher value of R-2 and lower value of AAD: The quality of the YOOB obtained was within the ASTM D6751 and DIN EN 14214 biodiesel specifications. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.