Production of Biodiesel in the Presence of Co-Solvents in Transesterification: A Review

Abstract

Consumption of fossil fuels has resulted in several economic and environmental consequences, prompting a quest for renewable energy sources rather than a reliance on fossil fuels. Biodiesel is a renewable source of energy that can be substituted for fossil fuel-based diesel fuel. Transesterification is the most economically viable way of producing biodiesel. However, the biodiesel manufacturing method based on transesterification has a disadvantage due to the immiscibility of the two key reactants, alcohol and oil, which results in a mass transfer resistance and reduces biodiesel yield. Several researchers have investigated using another solvent called a co-solvent to overcome the mass transfer barrier in the reaction medium. The purpose of this review was to examine the influence of several co-solvents on biodiesel synthesis that had been previously investigated the research