Transesterification reaction conditions and low-quality feedstock treatment processes for biodiesel production- A review

Diesel or petro-diesel is a non-renewable fossil fuel that is derived from crude oil and it is likely to be exhausted shortly. Since diesel comes from non-renewable resources, this leads to a rise in energy costs especially with the decline of crude oil production. Biodiesel is a type of biofuel that has a composition and combustion properties similar to petrodiesel fuel. Renewable resources such as vegetable oil, algae, and animal fats are crucial feedstocks for biodiesel production. Biodiesel is a renewable and clean fuel as it reduces carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter emissions compared with petroleum-based diesel fuel. The conversion of vegetable oil to alkyl esters (biodiesel) depends upon certain parameters that affect the biodiesel production process such as catalyst concentration, methanol to waste cooking oil ratio, temperature, mixing rate, and reaction time. In this paper, the effect of reaction parameters on the yield quantity and properties will be shown.