Improved biodiesel production from waste cooking oil with mixed methanol–ethanol using enhanced eggshell-derived CaO nano-catalyst

In this report, the utilization of mixed methanol–ethanol system for the production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil (WCO) using enhanced eggshell-derived calcium oxide (CaO) nano-catalyst was investigated. CaO nano-catalyst was produced by calcination of eggshell powder at 900 °C and followed by hydration-dehydration treatment to improve its catalytic activity. The particle size, morphology, and elemental composition of a catalyst were characterized by using XRD, SEM, and EDX techniques, respectively. After hydration-dehydration the shape of a catalyst was changed from a rod-like to honeycomb-like porous microstructure. Likewise, average particle size was reduced from 21.30 to 13.53 nm, as a result, its surface area increases. The main factors affecting the biodiesel yield were investigated, accordingly, an optimal biodiesel yield of 94% was obtained at 1:12 oil to methanol molar ratio, 2.5 wt% catalyst loading, 60 °C, and 120-min reaction time. A biodiesel yield of 88% was obtained using 6:6 equimolar ratio of methanol to ethanol, the yield even increased to 91% by increasing the catalyst loading to 3.5 wt%. Moreover, by slightly increasing the share of methanol in the mixture, at 8:4 ratio, the maximum biodiesel yield could reach 92%. Therefore, we suggest the utilization of methanol–ethanol mixture as a reactant and eggshell-derived CaO as a catalyst for enhanced conversion of WCO into biodiesel. It is a very promising approach for the development of low-cost and environmentally friendly technology. Properties of the biodiesel were also found in good agreement with the American (ASTM D6571) fuel standards.