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

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]

• waste cooking oil
• biodiesel production
• transesterification
• ultrasound-assisted transesterification
• microwave-assisted transesterification
• sodium hydroxide catalyst
• fatty acid methyl esters
• biodiesel feedstock
• conversion efficiency

• 12 — الاستهلاك والإنتاج المسؤولان
• 7 — طاقة نظيفة وبأسعار معقولة
• 2 — القضاء التام على الجوع

• Biodiesel Production and Applications
• Catalysis and Hydrodesulfurization Studies
• Thermochemical Biomass Conversion Processes
• waste cooking oil
• biodiesel production
• transesterification
• ultrasound-assisted transesterification
• microwave-assisted transesterification
• sodium hydroxide catalyst
• fatty acid methyl esters
• biodiesel feedstock
• Biomedical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Engineering