Calcium Oxide as an Efficient Heterogeneous Catalyst for Production of Biodiesel

Abstract

This study was carried out on biodiesel production from waste cooking oil using commercial and synthesized calcium oxide. Synthesized calcium oxide was prepared by calcination of the waste chicken bones at 800 C^o for 7 hours. The prepared samples were characterized using FT-IR, SEM, EDX and N₂-sorption at 77.3 K. The catalytic activity of these catalysts was investigated by transesterification of waste cooking oil with two types of alcohol (ethanol and methanol). The yields of biodiesel using synthesized CaO were 73% with methanol and 65.5% with ethanol, while using commercial CaO were 71 % and 63 %. The results indicated that the CaO catalysts derived from waste chicken bones showed high potential to be used as biodiesel production catalysts in transesterification of cooking oil with methanol and ethanol.