Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Production of biodiesel by transesterification: a green approach to energy

  • Research
  • Published:
Interactions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Research on producing biodiesel from leftover cooking oil has increased due to a constant increase in demand for renewable energy sources and the necessity of sustainable waste management. If spent cooking oil is left out in the open, it can cause a number of environmental issues. In this study, a transesterification technique is used to try and convert used cooking oil which is gathered from different sources, into biodiesel. Transesterification, a process that uses waste products to produce valuable renewable energy and glycerol as a by product, has proven to be a potential and sustainable method for production of biodiesel from used cooking oil. Experiments were conducted to produce biodiesel using leftover groundnut and sunflower oil. In order to produce biodiesel from the aforementioned oils, a number of parameters were examined, including temperature of reaction, alcohol-to-oil molar ratio and reaction time. When compared to traditional biodiesel, it exhibits superior qualities in terms of aniline point, flash point,pour point, smoke point, cloud point, and fire point. It is found that the biodiesel yield from waste sunflower oil is more than that of waste groundnut oil. With no engine modifications required, biodiesel may be used in diesel engines in both blended and raw form as an excellent alternative to conventional fuels.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.

Data Availability

No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

References

  1. Cheikh, F.Z.B., Zobeidi, A., Belkhalfa, H., Douadi, A., Nacer, S.N., Ghernaout, D., Elboughdiri, N.: Transforming waste cooking oil into environmentally friendly biodiesel: a comparative analysis of three transesterification methods. Int J. Oil, Gas Coal Technol. 34(4), 413–427 (2023)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Hosseini, M., Nikbakht, A.M., Tabatabaei, M.: Biodiesel production in batch tank reactor equipped to helical ribbon-like agitator. Mod. Appl. Sci. 6(3) (2012)

  3. Fazal, M.A., Haseeb, A.S.M.A., Masjuki, H.H.: Biodiesel feasibility study: an evaluation of material compatibility; performance; emission and engine durability. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 15(2), 1314–1324 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Talebian-Kiakalaieh, A., Amin, N.A.S., Mazaheri, H.: A review on novel processes of biodiesel production from waste cooking oil. Appl. Energy 104, 683–710 (2013)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Transesterification of Vegetable Oils

  6. Monika, Banga, S., Pathak, V.V.: Biodiesel production from waste cooking oil: a comprehensive review on the application of heterogenous catalysts. Energy Nexus 10, 100209 (2023)

  7. Ahmed, R., Huddersman, K.: Review of biodiesel production by the esterification of wastewater containing fats oils and grease (FOGs). J. Ind. Eng. Chem. 110, 1–14 (2022)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Review of the production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil using solid catalysts

  9. Vegetable Oil Fuels: Proceedings of the International Conference on Plant and Vegetable Oils as Fuels, August 2-4, 1982, Holiday Inn, Fargo, North Dakota. American Society of Agricultural Engineers (1982)

  10. Vegetable oils and animal fats. In: Demirbas, A. (ed.) Biodiesel: A Realistic Fuel Alternative for Diesel Engines, pp. 65–110. Springer, London (2008)

  11. Schwab, A.W., Bagby, M.O., Freedman, B.: Preparation and properties of diesel fuels from vegetable oils. Fuel 66(10), 1372–1378 (1987)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Weisz, P.B., Haag, W.O., Rodewald, P.G.: Catalytic production of high-grade fuel (gasoline) from biomass compounds by shape-selective catalysis. Science 206(4414), 57–58 (1979)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Serrano-Ruiz, J.C.: Advanced Biofuels: Using Catalytic Routes for the Conversion of Biomass Platform Molecules. CRC Press, (2015)

  14. Adewale, P., Dumont, M.-J., Ngadi, M.: Recent trends of biodiesel production from animal fat wastes and associated production techniques. Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 45, 574–588 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Tyagi, R.D., Surampalli, R.Y., Zhang, T.C., Yan, S., Zhang, X.: Biodiesel Production: Technologies, Challenges, and Future Prospects. American Society of Civil Engineers, (2019)

  16. Atabani, A.E., Silitonga, A.S., Badruddin, I.A., Mahlia, T.M.I., Masjuki, H.H., Mekhilef, S.: A comprehensive review on biodiesel as an alternative energy resource and its characteristics. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 16(4), 2070–2093 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Ma, F., Hanna, M.A.: Biodiesel production: a review1journal series #12109, agricultural research division, institute of agriculture and natural resources, university of Nebraska-Lincoln.1. Bioresour. Technol. 70(1), 1–15 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Tomasevic, A.V., Siler-Marinkovic, S.S.: Methanolysis of used frying oil. Fuel Process. Technol. 81(1), 1–6 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Fukuda, H., Kondo, A., Noda, H.: Biodiesel fuel production by transesterification of oils. J. Biosci. Bioeng. 92(5), 405–416 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Tomasevic, A.V., Siler-Marinkovic, S.S.: Methanolysis of used frying oil. Fuel Process. Technol. 81(1), 1–6 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Encinar, J.M., González, J.F., Rodríguez, J.J., Tejedor, A.: Biodiesel fuels from vegetable oils: Transesterification of cynara cardunculus l. oils with ethanol. Energy Fuels 16(2), 443–450 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Freedman, B., Pryde, E.H., Mounts, T.L.: Variables affecting the yields of fatty esters from transesterified vegetable oils. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 61(10), 1638–1643 (1984)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Ma, F., Clements, L.D., Hanna, M.A.: The effect of mixing on transesterification of beef tallow. Bioresour. Technol. 69(3), 289–293 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Lam, M.K., Tan, K.T., Lee, K.T., Mohamed, A.R.: Malaysian palm oil: Surviving the food versus fuel dispute for a sustainable future. Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 13(6), 1456–1464 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Haas, M.J., McAloon, A.J., Yee, W.C., Foglia, T.A.: A process model to estimate biodiesel production costs. Bioresour. Technol. 97(4), 671–678 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Demirbas, M.F., Balat, M.: Recent advances on the production and utilization trends of bio-fuels: A global perspective. Energy Convers. Manage. 47(15), 2371–2381 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. Kumar, S., Deswal, V.: Optimization at low temperature transesterification biodiesel production from soybean oil methanolysis via response surface methodology. Energy Sources Part A 44(1), 2284–2293 (2022)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Dhruvi Rathore and Yatharth Agrawal both contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Nirma Univeristy, Ahmedabad, 382481, Gujarat, India

    Narasimha Reddy Ravuru, Dhruvi Rathore & Yatharth Agrawal

Authors
  1. Narasimha Reddy Ravuru
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dhruvi Rathore
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yatharth Agrawal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Narasimha Reddy Ravuru: data analysis, validation, formal analysis, supervision, proofreading, and editing of final version. Dhruvi Rathore: experiments, writing original draft, intellectual content, and interpretation of data, prepared graphs. Yatharth Agrawal: methodology, experiments, data collection and analysis, review, and editing, prepared tables.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Narasimha Reddy Ravuru.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ravuru, N.R., Rathore, D. & Agrawal, Y. Production of biodiesel by transesterification: a green approach to energy. Interactions 245, 118 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10751-024-01958-2

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10751-024-01958-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation