Utilizing Peganum harmala plant as a catalyst for producing biodiesel from waste cooking oil: A practical method for recycling used oil into biodiesel

Abstract

The present study proposes use of waste cooking oil (WCO) as a useful resource in the manufacturing of biodiesel as well as reduction of production costs for the additive. The goal of this research is to optimize the process parameters for biodiesel production within the permissible limit values given in the literature. This research focuses on maximizing output yield by using composite heterogeneous catalysts, namely the Pegnum harmala plant. The catalysts are calcined at 800°C for 4 h to boost catalytic activity and surface area. An experiment was designed using the transesterification approach. The highest production of fatty acid ethyl esters is achieved via experimentation at 85%. This is accomplished by using calcined harmala plant with an ethanol to waste cooking oil molar ratio of 10:1, a catalyst loading of 3%, and operating at a temperature of 80°C for duration of 3 h. The fuel characteristics of fatty acid ethyl ester are consistent with ASTM, indicating that it is a viable alternative fuel source. It is admirable to use biodiesel obtained from waste and untapped resources to develop and implement a more sustainable and environmentally sensitive energy strategy. Adoption and integration of green energy methods has the potential to provide beneficial environmental consequences, supporting improved social and economic growth for the biodiesel industry as a whole.