Title: Transforming waste cooking oil into environmentally friendly biodiesel: a comparative analysis of three transesterification methods

Authors: Fatma Zohra Ben Cheikh; Ammar Zobeidi; Hakim Belkhalfa; Ali Douadi; Salah Neghmouche Nacer; Djamel Ghernaout; Noureddine Elboughdiri

Addresses: Laboratoire VPRS, University of Ouargla, Ouargla 30000, Algeria ' Pollution and Waste Treatment Laboratory, University of Ouargla, Ouargla 30000, Algeria; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, University of El-Oued, El-Oued 39000, Algeria ' Scientific and Technical Research Center in Physico-chemical Analysis, University of Ouargla, Ouargla 30000, Algeria ' Pollution and Waste Treatment Laboratory, University of Ouargla, Ouargla 30000, Algeria ' Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, University of El-Oued, El-Oued 39000, Algeria ' Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Ha'il, Ha'il 81441, Saudi Arabia; Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, University of Blida, Blida 09000, Algeria ' Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Ha'il, Ha'il 81441, Saudi Arabia; Chemical Engineering Process Department, National School of Engineers Gabes, University of Gabes, Gabes 6029, Tunisia

Abstract: This study evaluated waste cooking oil (WCO) for environmentally friendly biodiesel production using three transesterification methods: conventional, ultrasound, and microwave. Ultrasound with NaOH as a catalyst achieved a yield of 99.7%, microwave had 94.4% conversion, and conventional had the lowest productivity at 79%. These findings demonstrate waste cooking oil's potential as a biodiesel feedstock and the effectiveness of ultrasound and microwave in enhancing conversion efficiency. FT-IR analysis confirmed successful transesterification, with significant absorption spectrum changes indicating biodiesel formation. GC-MS analysis identified 25 unique fatty acid methyl esters, characteristic of biodiesel. This research contributes to sustainable energy solutions and emphasises WCO's importance as a critical resource for the biodiesel industry. The highlights are: 1) pioneering sustainable evaluation of waste cooking oil as a biodiesel feedstock; 2) application of NaOH as a catalyst in biodiesel production enhances sustainability; 3) ultrasonic and microwave techniques offer rapid and efficient biodiesel production; 4) FT-IR analysis confirms successful transesterification with significant absorption spectrum changes; 5) GC-MS analysis identifies 25 unique fatty acid methyl esters; 6) a sufficient waste cooking oil are critical to the biodiesel industry. [Received: March 21, 2023; Accepted: July 24, 2023]

Keywords: waste cooking oil; WCO; esterification; conventional; ultrasound; microwave; biodiesel.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOGCT.2023.135058

International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology, 2023 Vol.34 No.4, pp.413 - 427

Received: 02 Mar 2023
Accepted: 24 Jul 2023
Published online: 29 Nov 2023 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article