الفهرس 
Biofuel production from jojoba oil
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Abstract
The present thesis concerns with studying different methods of biojet fuel production from Jojoba oil such as transesterification and catalytic hydrocracking. Biofuels like biodiesel and biojet fuels are important sources of renewable energy; as they will replace petroleum fuels in the near future. Biofuels in general, can be produced from several raw agriculture materials.
Corn, soybean, sesame, canola, rapeseed, olive, coconut, palm and camelina are some of the many vegetables from which oil is extracted to produce biofuel. However, there are interests in using non-edible oil to avoid impacting the food chain. A good possible source of biofuel is Jojoba oil.
The increase of energy use, by fossil fuel only, contributes to the greenhouse effect, unbalancing some important gas cycles such as carbon dioxide (CO_2). The exhaust gases from engines and turbines cause global warming leading to a 0.6 °C increase in the temperature of the surface of the Earth since 1860. The contribution of the aviation industry to the acceleration of global warming should not be underestimated. In fact, 60 billions of gallons of JP-8, a type of jet fuel, are used every year, worldwide. The USA consumed 43% of this total jet fuel.
The majority of biofuels types freeze at -5 °C. Because of aircraft’s travelling conditions at very high altitude where the temperature reaches several units below zero centigrade, low-temperature properties are essential for jet fuel, which freezes at -47 °C. Viable methodologies to create a jet fuel with excellent cold stability properties are fundamental.
In order to mitigate the effects of crude oil exploitation and the exhausts on the earth and its atmosphere, the development of alternative sources of energy has been accelerated during the past two decades. Extensive research has been done to develop biodiesel from biomass for ground transportation. More recently, scientists have focused on the development of biojet fuel. The concern in this work is to investigate different methods of producing biofuels from Jojoba oil.
The transesterification of Jojoba based vegetable oil method is used in this work to produce biodiesel fuel using an alcohol. Ethanol and methanol are some examples of alcohol used to make biofuels. The biofuel obtained from methanol or ethanol is qualified as methyl ester or ethyl ester, respectively. Transesterification reaction of Jojoba oil to methyl Jojobate and jojobyl alcohol performed using base catalyst (KOH) and acid catalyst (acetyl chloride). Our study shows that the optimum reaction conversion obtained from the acid catalyst.
Jojoba alcohol is used in cosmetic formulations. The fatty alcohol mixture acts as an emollient (makes the skin smooth and supple), skin care product and viscosity regulator (increases or decreases the viscosity of cosmetic products).
The catalytic hydrocracking of Jojoba oil method is also used in this work to produce biojet fuel. The catalytic hydrocracking of Jojoba oil involves the breakdown to lighter carbon based compounds. Biojet is later extracted from the cracked product via a distillation process. The type of product and its quality depend on the process conditions such as reaction time, temperature and catalyst. Catalytic hydrocracking performed at different catalyst ratios (2%, 3% and 4% by weight), temperatures (400 °C, 425 °C and 450 °C) and time intervals (15 min., 20 min., 25 min., 30 min. and 35 min.). Our study shows that the optimum conversion to biojet fuel is obtained at catalyst ratio = 3% by w.t., temperature = 400 °C and time = 25 min