Integrating life cycle assessment and characterisation techniques: A case study of biodiesel production utilising waste Prunus Armeniaca seeds (PAS) and a novel catalyst

Ala'a H Al-Muhtaseb; Ahmed I Osman; Farrukh Jamil; Neha Mehta; Lamya Al-Haj; Frederic Coulon; Suhaib Al-Maawali; Abdulrahman Al Nabhani; Htet Htet Kyaw; Myo Tay Zar Myint; David W Rooney

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114319

Integrating life cycle assessment and characterisation techniques: A case study of biodiesel production utilising waste Prunus Armeniaca seeds (PAS) and a novel catalyst

J Environ Manage. 2022 Feb 15:304:114319. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114319. Epub 2021 Dec 21.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. Electronic address: muhtaseb@squ.edu.om.
² School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast, BT9 5AG, Northern Ireland, UK; Nanocomposite Catalysts Lab., Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science at Qena, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, Egypt. Electronic address: aosmanahmed01@qub.ac.uk.
³ Department of Chemical Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore, Pakistan. Electronic address: fjamil@cuilahore.edu.pk.
⁴ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast, BT9 5AG, Northern Ireland, UK; The Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy, Queen's University Belfast, David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast, BT9 5AG, Northern Ireland, UK.
⁵ Department of Biology, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
⁶ School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK430AL, England, UK.
⁷ Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
⁸ Electron Microscopy Unit, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
⁹ Nanotechnology Research Center, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
¹⁰ Department of Physics, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
¹¹ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, David Keir Building, Stranmillis Road, Belfast, BT9 5AG, Northern Ireland, UK.

PMID: 35021592
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114319

Abstract

Prunus Armeniaca seed (PAS) oil was utilised as a waste biomass feedstock for biodiesel production via a novel catalytic system (SrO-La₂O₃) based on different stoichiometric ratios. The catalysts have been characterised and followed by a parametric analysis to optimise catalyst results. The catalyst with a stoichiometric ratio of Sr: La-8 (Sr-La-C) using parametric analysis showed an optimum yield of methyl esters is 97.28% at 65 °C, reaction time 75 min, catalyst loading 3 wt% and methanol to oil molar ratio of 9. The optimum catalyst was tested using various oil feedstocks such as waste cooking oil, sunflower oil, PAS oil, date seed oil and animal fat. The life cycle assessment was performed to evaluate the environmental impacts of biodiesel production utilising waste PAS, considering 1000 kg of biodiesel produced as 1 functional unit. The recorded results showed the cumulative abiotic depletion of fossil resources over the entire biodiesel production process as 22,920 MJ, global warming potential as 1150 kg CO₂ equivalent, acidification potential as 4.89 kg SO₂ equivalent and eutrophication potential as 0.2 kg PO₄^3- equivalent for 1 tonne (1000 kg) of biodiesel produced. Furthermore, the energy ratio (measured as output energy divided by input energy) for the entire production process was 1.97. These results demonstrated that biodiesel obtained from the valorisation of waste PAS provides a suitable alternative to fossil fuels.

Keywords: Circular economy; Life cycle assessment; Prunus armeniaca seed oil; SrO-La(2)O(3); Synergistic effect; Waste biomass.

MeSH terms

Animals
Biofuels*
Catalysis
Life Cycle Stages
Plant Oils
Prunus armeniaca*

Substances

Biofuels
Plant Oils