Abstract:
Methanolic transesterification of Croton megalocarpus seed oil to produce biodiesel was investigated using
Immobilized Candida antarctica lipase as a catalyst. The reactions were optimized by varying the
temperature, amount of methanol and the weight of lipase. The transesterification process yielded 98.71 %
biodiesel conversion at optimal conditions of 30 %
enzyme (m/m), 50 °c reaction temperature and oil to
alcohol molar ratio of 1 :4. Biodiesel from this process had a remarkably high acid value. All the other fuel
properties measured were within the range stipulated in the American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM) and International Standards Organization (ISO) standards
