Upcycling waste snail shells into high-performance nanocatalyst for optimized biodiesel production: A sustainable approach

Abstract

The transesterification of soybean oil (SO) to biodiesel utilizing a basic CaO nanocatalyst derived from waste snail shells has been reported in this work. The steady rise in greenhouse gas emissions contributes to environmental pollution, posing a significant threat to human life due to the escalating rates of petroleum consumption worldwide. Thus, biodiesel appears as a potential liquid fuel for replacing petroleum diesel. Here we have utilized waste snail shells as a cost-effective material which will reduce the overall biodiesel manufacturing cost. We obtained a remarkable biodiesel yield of 96.1 % with a very low activation energy (30.45 kJ mol⁻¹). The catalyst displayed exceptional stability, maintaining consistent catalytic activity over six consecutive cycles without experiencing a notable decline. Using life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) it has been discovered that the estimated cost of producing 1 kg of biodiesel is merely $ 0.935, highlighting its robust potential for extensive commercial adoption.