BIODIESEL PRODUCTION VIA ALKALI-CATALYZED TRANSESTERIFICATION OF MUSTARD AND SOYBEAN OIL: EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS OF CuNPs AS CATALYSTS

Abstract

Amid increasing global energy demand, biodiesel has emerged as a sustainable alternative to conventional fossil fuels. It is an eco-friendly, biodegradable, and non toxic fuel. It can be produced through vegetable oil, non-edible oil, waste cooking oil, including other triglyceride sources. The choice of feedstock significantly influences both the process and biodiesel yield. Biodiesel can be produced through different methods, including pyrolysis, dilution, micro-emulsification, and transesterification. Out of all these methods, transesterification is the most commonly used technique, due to its efficiency and simplicity. This process can be catalyzed using homogeneous catalysts such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid, and sulfuric acid or heterogeneous catalysts, including metal oxides, nanoparticles, etc. The selection of catalysts depends on the type of feedstock and its FFA content. Key parameters affecting the transesterification reaction include a molar ratio of TAG to alcohol, reaction time, reaction temperature, and catalyst concentration, with glycerol as a by-product. In this study, biodiesel was produced from mustard and soybean oil using an alkali-catalyzed transesterification reaction, and the efficiency of CuNPs as a catalyst was also evaluated. CuNPs were synthesized using both chemical and green synthesis, and further characterization was performed using FTIR.