ANIRUDH DESHMUKH, SANJAY VERMA, ASHOK SHARMA AND SARITA SHARMA
Abstract
Biodiesel is mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from renewable sources such as vegetable oil, animal fat, and used cooking oil. Optimum conditions for production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil through esterification and transesterification were determined. Oil to methanol molar ratio 1:6, temperature 60 oC, acid catalyst (H2SO4) 0.5 wt. % and alkali catalyst (NaOH) 1 wt. % was observed as optimum conditions for production of bio-diesel. On these conditions, waste cooking oil gives 84.36% yield by direct transesterification process and 77.13% yield by esterification-transesterification process. Physical and chemical properties of biodiesel at optimum yield were also determined.