International Journal of Science, Engineering and TechnologyAuthors: Nnali-Uroh Emmanue, Oluikpe Victor Amadi, Kolawole Idowu Sunday, Akpa Umahi Nwaeze
Abstract: This study investigates the optimization of biodiesel production from waste chicken fat oil using a KOH-activated chicken bone catalyst, employing an integrated experimental–computational approach. Response Surface Methodology (RSM), combined with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), was used to optimize five key process variables: catalyst dosage (0.5–2.5 wt%), reaction temperature (30–70 °C), reaction time (1–5 hours), methanol-to-oil ratio (6:1–14:1), and agitation speed (100–500 rpm). The optimal conditions predicted by RSM and PSO were: catalyst dosage of 1.30 wt%, methanol-to-oil ratio of 13.56:1, reaction time of 3.3 hours, and temperature of 77 °C. The resulting biodiesel yield was 97.42%, with a kinematic viscosity of 5.978 mm² s⁻¹ and a cetane index of 63.27, which meet the acceptable limits set by ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 standards. The study focused on the interactions of process variables, where the highest biodiesel yield was achieved by simultaneously increasing catalyst dosage and methanol ratio, with moderate temperature and extended reaction times. Statistical analysis using ANOVA revealed that the interaction model outperformed the linear model, with R² values of 0.6168 for biodiesel yield, 0.5233 for kinematic viscosity, and 0.5878 for cetane index, confirming the significance of interaction effects in the biodiesel production process. This research demonstrates that waste chicken fat oil, a low-cost feedstock, can be effectively utilized for biodiesel production. The optimized process conditions and integration of PSO for multi-response optimization provide a scalable and sustainable solution for biodiesel production from poultry-derived waste oils, contributing to waste-to-energy conversion
