THE EFFECT OF CONVENTIONAL AND MICROWAVE HEATING TECHNIQUES ON TRANSESTERIFICATION OF WASTE COOKING OIL TO BIODIESEL

This research is focused on the effect of processing parameters such as molar ratio of sample to solvent (1:3-1:15), catalyst loading (0.5-2.5 wt %), temperature (40-80 degrees C) and time of reaction (5-180 min) on the transesterification yield of waste cooking oil (WCO) in conventional thermal heating and microwave heating techniques. The analysis carried out revealed that the microwave assisted transesterification produced a comparable yield to conventional heating transesterification with similar to 5 times faster in heating up the reaction mixture to a reaction temperature and reduced similar to 90% of the reaction time required. This study concludes that microwave assisted transesterification, which is a green technology, may have great potential in reducing the processing time compared to conventional thermal heating transesterification.