PENGGESERAN REAKSI KESETIMBANGAN HIDROLISIS MINYAK DENGAN PENGAMBILAN GLISEROL UNTUK MEMPEROLEH ASAM LEMAK JENUH DARI MINYAK BIJI KARET

Abstract

Indonesia is one of the largest rubber producers in the world. Rubber seed is obtained as agricultural waste. This is a potential feedstock for biodiesel because of its high proportion of oil. The oil is hydrolyzed to produce saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids are good for health. Besides, saturated fatty acids are suitable for high-quality biodiesel by esterification. Batch process of rubber seed hydrolysis was conducted on this research to produce fatty acids and glycerine. In case of its reversible reaction, continuously separation of product or increasing reactant-concentration was needed to achieve equilibrium conversion. In this batch process, continuously separation of glycerine was done by settling it stage by stage (multi stages). The objection of this research was to find optimum condition on multi stages hydrolysis to produce fatty acids. It was processed on hydrochloric-acid catalyzed, fifty-fifty ratio of oil and water, and reacted in 70^oC. In each stage of hydrolysis, glycerine and water was separated from reaction mixture by settling on 24 hours. The fatty acids were re-hydrolyzed with fresh water like the stage before. The process was stopped while it reached maximum conversion (almost completely). Based on this research, we concluded that for the shorter time of each stage on hydrolysis-process gives higher conversion of oil to fatty acids.