Biodiesel production from used cooking oil at room temperature using novel solvent – A techno-economic perspective, sensitivity analysis and societal implications

Biodiesel is perceived as a renewable and sustainable alternative to fossil fuel as it can hold the reins of growing economics, energy and environmental concerns. Most biodiesel production approaches in the literature and commercial practice are energy-intensive, require skilled operations, and are largely dependent on feedstock availability. This present work entails screening different feedstocks focusing on biodiesel quality and efficiency. Further, it delves into the novel process for making biodiesel in energy-free pathways covering energy and environmental concerns. Two types of biodiesels viz. crude and distilled biodiesel were produced and were characterized by analytical techniques like FTIR, NMR, GC, CHNS and TGA. The physicochemical analysis of produced biodiesels showed results as per ASTM/BIS specifications and these results were discussed thoroughly from a technical perspective. Next, it examines the economic feasibility of novel processes entailing capital investment and operating costs for different biodiesel production scenarios (Crude and Distilled) at varying production capacities (1.8 and 3.6 TPD). The payback period was 0.79 yr and 0.57 yr for distilled and 0.44 yr and 0.32 yr for crude biodiesel at 1.8 TPD and 3.6 TPD respectively. The sensitivity analysis has been carried out by varying UCO prices. Further, comparative analysis was also done against existing literature reports. Furthermore, the two models (drop and drive, centralized model) were developed and discussed along with their applications in rural and sub-urban areas in line with UN sustainable development goals (SDG 7 and 13) covering the societal perspective of the process. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd