Comparative study of ultrasonic and conventional method for biodiesel production using different heterogeneous catalyst

The application of heterogeneous catalyst has recently attracted a substantial interest in production of biodiesel compared to homogeneous catalyst due to its repeatability in successive reactions and its easier separation from the reaction mixture. Detailed methods by which biodiesel is produced using the low-frequency ultrasonic energy (20 kHz) and the conventional mechanical stirrer are described. Waste cooking soybean oil (WCSO) will be used as a feedstock for this purpose. The experiments were conducted at oil/alcohol molar ratio (1:6), reaction time (60 min), reaction temperature (65 degrees C) with three different catalysts aluminium oxide (Al2O3), calcium oxide (CaO) and magnesium oxide (MgO) at three different percentages (0.5 wt.%, 0.75 wt.%, 1 wt.%). WCSO biodiesel has been determined for its significant chemical and physical properties. The result shows that biodiesel production through the ultrasound process is relatively simple and more efficient than that produced by the conventional method.