Abstract:
Background.Thedemand for diesel fuel is constantly increasing, requiring its alternate that could be sustainable, technically feasible,
price competitive, and ecologically acceptable. Biodiesel is one of ecologically acceptable substitute for the conventional fuels.
Methods. Sufficient lime fleshing waste was collected fromAddis Ababa tannery share company. Thelimed fleshing waste in the wet
condition was delimed using boric acid, dried, chopped, and subjected to Soxhlet extraction using petroleum ether solvent. The oil
was treated by orthophosphoric acid and distilled water to remove gums. The pretreated oil was subjected to homogeneous base
catalyzed transesterification. Response surface was used to optimize the process variables. GC-MS was used to see composition
of the biodiesel produced. Result. The oil yield of the goat, hide, and sheep delimed fleshing wastes were 23.08%, 12.05%, and
26.7%, respectively. The conversion to biodiesel by KOH-catalyzed transesterification was achieved above 96% under optimum
conditions: a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 6:1, catalyst amount of 1 % w/w, and reaction temperature of 60∘C for an hour reaction
time. Conclusion. It was proven that fleshing wastes from tanneries whose storage and disposal are both troublesome and costly
could be transformed to a fuel with low emission values and a performance close to diesel fuel.
