PRODUCTION OF AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL FROM A LOW COST FEEDSTOCK- AN ECONOMICAL VIEW

Abstract

Due to the finite stock of fossil fuels and its negative impact on the environment, many countries across the
world are leaning toward renewable energy sources. Biodiesel is one kind of biofuel which is renewable and
biodegradable. It is proved to be the best replacement for diesel because of its unique properties like significant
reduction in green house gas emissions, non-sulfur emissions, non-particulate matter pollutants and low toxicity.
Biodiesel can be produced from vegetable oils and animal fat. In this work, biodiesel was prepared using waste cooking
oil which will be discarded as a waste in the environment. The main reason for using waste cooking oil as a feedstock is
to reduce the production cost of biodiesel and also to maintain food security. With this cheaper feedstock, biodiesel is
prepared by the process of transesterification with the addition of base catalysts like NaOH and KOH in methanol. In
addition, quantification of fatty acid methyl ester in biodiesel was studied using FTIR.