Identification and Evaluation of Wastes from Biodiesel Production Process

Abstract

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel for diesel produced from waste oils, vegetable oils and animal fats. Biodiesel is produced using chemical process called transesterification. The main target of this study is the identification and evaluation of wastes from that process. Soap and glycerol have been identified as wastes from this biodiesel production process. Soap and glycerol were collected from a Biodiesel Production Plant. In one batch of biodiesel production process, 100 L of glycerin and 99 L of soap produced. Evaluation of these wastes was based on Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) test, Total Suspended Solid (TSS) test, pH test, and Oil & Grease (O&G) test. Results of the above mentioned tests were compared with Acceptable Conditions from Environmental Quality (Industrial Effluents) Regulations 2009 (PU (A) 434) to identify the impact of the wastes towards the environment. For the soap, COD and O&G are not within the acceptable conditions of the regulations. On the other hand, for glycerin, COD is not in acceptable range of the regulations. However, the glycerin is not discharged into the environment since glycerin has been collected and kept in storage for the further in anaerobic digestion. On the other hand, soap couldn’t be discharged into the drain. This is not recommended because of the high value of COD and O&G. This may cause pollution to the environment and may endanger the life of human beings.