Experimental Investigations and Concise Review on Biodiesel Production from Crude Sunflower Oil Using Lime-Based Catalysts

Abstract

Biodiesel is a renewable and clean-burning fuel used as a substitute for petroleum diesel. Biodiesel, as a biofuel, increases energy security and environment quality and provides safety benefits. The objective of this chapter is to study the effectiveness of various lime-based materials as catalysts for the preparation of biodiesel from crude sunflower oil through transesterification with methanol and ethanol. First, biodiesel was prepared from pure sunflower oil using methanol and NaOH as a catalyst. Then, biodiesel was prepared from pure sunflower oil using ethanol and rejected lime as a catalyst. Later, biodiesel was prepared from crude sunflower oil using methanol and various lime-based materials such as rejected lime, pure lime, and limestone as catalysts. Biodiesel was checked for its properties such as free fatty acid, density, dynamic viscosity, kinematic viscosity, flash and fire points, and cloud and pour points. From the results, it was found that pure lime is the suitable catalyst for the production of biodiesel from crude sunflower oil. A concise review on biodiesel production using lime-based materials as a catalyst was also presented.