Methylester by Transesterification of Jatropha, Cottonseed and Used Cooking Oils as an Alternative Fuel for Petrodiesel

Recently biodiesel has become more attractive because of its environmental benefits and the fact that it is made from renewable resources. The properties of methyl esters obtained from Jatropha oil, used cooking oil, cotton seeds oil were analyzed. The transesterification reaction conditions that affect yield and purity of the product esters including oil quality, type and concentration of catalyst, temperature and reaction time were examined. Methanol esterification of different oils at 60oC with 1–10 by vol. potassium methoxide was studied. With appropriate percent of potassium methoxide, the reaction has been carried out for 1 hour at temperature 60–70oC. A process for the production of the methyl ester of Jatropha oil, used cooking oil, cotton seeds oil has been studied. The essential part of the process is the transesterification of the cotton seed oil with methanol, in the presence of a catalyst, to yield the methyl ester as a product and glycerol as a by-product.