A New Process for Biodiesel Production Based on Waste Cooking Oils and Heterogeneous Catalysts

In the United States, the vast majority of biodiesel consumed is made from soybean oil by an energy and labor-intensive alkali-catalyzed process known as transesterification. The cost of biodiesel production is much higher than for petroleum-based diesel, and it is therefore not currently cost-competitive. The feedstock costs of soybean and processing costs associated with homogeneous alkaline catalyst are the main causes of the high price. The purpose of this project is to develop a new cost-effective biodiesel production technology to overcome the disadvantages of the current commercial process. By using waste cooking oils as feedstock and employing heterogeneous catalysts instead of the homogeneous acid or caustic solution, this technology will efficiently convert waste cooking oils to biodiesel with high yields and significantly simplify the separation and purification process. The heteroeneous catalysts are reusable, and no waste solution is produced.