Asaad, Sara Maen;
Inayat, Abrar;
Jamil, Farrukh;
Hellier, Paul;
(2025)
Process Optimization of Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil and Neem Oil Blend.
Energies
, 18
(18)
, Article 4944. 10.3390/en18184944.
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Abstract
This study explores the use of a novel heterogeneous CoZnFe4O8 nanocatalyst for biodiesel production from a sustainable and innovative blend of waste cooking oil and neem oil feedstock. Utilizing waste cooking oil and inedible neem oil feedstock to produce biodiesel provides a green and economical way to produce renewable and environmentally friendly fuel while simultaneously reducing waste and valorizing inedible oils. Additionally, this feedstock blend does not threaten food or land resources as opposed to feedstocks obtained from edible resources. To fulfill the rising demand for biodiesel and address issues related to lower ester yields, particularly when utilizing waste cooking oils with high free fatty acid concentration, there is an urgent need for more effective processes, including two-stage transesterification. The novel CoZnFe4O8 nanocatalyst employed in this study demonstrated high efficiency in biodiesel production thanks to its high surface area, mesoporous structure, and catalytic properties. The effect of key process parameters, including catalyst concentration, reaction time, alcohol-to-oil molar ratio, and oil blend ratio, was investigated to evaluate the performance of the nanocatalyst and optimize the biodiesel yield with the help of Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The optimized process achieved a yield of 94.23% under optimum parameters of 2.13 wt% catalyst, 6.80:1 methanol-to-oil ratio, 4 h, and a ratio of waste cooking oil to neem oil of 98.32:1.68. The predicted and experimental values were in close agreement, indicating that the model was adequate. Additionally, detailed catalyst characterization, including analysis of the surface area, structure, and thermal stability, was carried out. Similarly, the biodiesel was characterized to assess its quality through heating value, density, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and ultimate analysis. The recovery and reusability of the nanocatalyst were also investigated, highlighting its potential for multiple reaction cycles. The novel CoZnFe4O8 nanocatalyst and innovative feedstock blend demonstrated high efficiency in biodiesel production comparable to other nanocatalysts and feedstocks reported in the literature, highlighting their potential as an efficient and sustainable method to produce biofuels.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Process Optimization of Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil and Neem Oil Blend |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3390/en18184944 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3390/en18184944 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Biodiesel; response surface methodology; optimization; anova; waste oil; nanocatalyst; characterization; catalyst reusability |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Mechanical Engineering |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10215319 |
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