Enhancement of Biodiesel Production from High-Acid-Value Waste Cooking Oil via a Microwave Reactor Using a Homogeneous Alkaline Catalyst

In this study, low quality oils (waste cooking oils) with high acid value (4.81 mg KOH/g) were utilized as the feedstocks for a transesterification reaction enhanced by additional microwave power and use of an NaOH catalyst. The kinetics under different times temperatures was studied. It found that in microwave-assisted reaction, optimum conditions 600 W follows: catalyst 0.8 wt %, 12:1 molar ratio methanol to oil, time 2 min, temperature 65 °C. conversion waste oil into biodiesel reached 98.2% after short time. This result conformed 96.5% standard Taiwan CNS 15072. addition, increases from 55 °C, rate constant increased 0.635 2.396 min−1, activation energy required 123.14 kJ/mole.