Evaluation of Methyl Ester Production Using Cement as a Heterogeneous Catalyst

This experiment is an investigation of used cooking oil as a sustainable and renewable resource for methyl ester production. With more than 95.5% production yield, thermally activated hydrated cement has been carefully discussed as a catalyst in the transesterification of used cooking oil into methyl ester to use waste cement as a heterogeneous catalyst for methyl ester production through electrolysis method. Acetone as a co-solvent was added to the reaction system for mass transfer-intensification. Theoretically, electrolysis can convert any biodegradable waste into biodiesel, as well as other by-products such as glycerol. In transesterification through electrolysis, OH- ions are produced in the cathode and turn into nucleophile (CH3O-) which lead to the production of biodiesel through attacking carbon UCO. The maximum free fatty methyl ester yield was obtained under the optimized conditions of 7:1 methanol/oil molar ratio, 10 wt% amount of cosolvent, in the range of 300 rpm, calcination temperature 750 °C, 30 V, amount of catalyst 12 wt% within 2 h. Methyl ester production was done at room temperature in the absence of saponification. The physical and fuel properties contents of the synthetized biodiesel were characterized applying EN standard method.