Question

Name the process of converting crude oil obtained from seeds into commercially useful fuel.

Answer 1

Hint: The commercially useful fuel obtained is a biofuel. The process is organic. In this, the fatty acids are converted into fatty esters. Biofuel has low oxidation ability.

Complete step by step answer:
The process of converting crude oil obtained from seeds into commercially useful fuel is called trans-esterification.
In this, process vegetable oils, animal fats, and waste cooking oils are processed to produce biodiesel.
The basic principle of this process is when glyceride and alcohol are reacted in the presence of a catalyst that produces an alkyl ester.
Rapeseeds, soy, sunflower, and palm oil plants are usually taken as reactants.
Different oils and fats require pretreatments before processing, like:
(a)- water should be removed.
(b)- some of the virgin oils are refined first.
(c)- impurities like charred food and dirt are removed.
Trans-esterification: it is a process in which fatty acids, alcohol (mainly ethanol or methanol), and catalyst are mixed as reactants. It is a reversible reaction. After the reaction, the products obtained are raw biodiesel and raw glycerol. The next step is to clean the products obtained. If we use methanol as alcohol biodiesel is obtained. The purified glycerol that has been obtained as the by-product can be used in cosmetics, etc.

The biodiesel which is produced is a non-toxic and biodegradable product.

Note: Only natural seed oils are used for the production of biodiesel. The properties of biodiesel are very similar to those of fossil fuels. Impurities in the biodiesel should be refined properly as it could alter its use as motor fuel.