Improved transesterification of waste cooking oil into biodiesel using calcined goat bone as a catalyst

In this study, potassium hydroxide-treated animal bones were employed​ as a solid heterogeneous catalyst in transesterification of waste cooking oil. This catalyst was characterized by the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and it displayed high-catalytic activity for biodiesel production. Optimum conditions for biodiesel production were catalyst loading 6.0% (w/w) of oil, methanol/oil molar ratio 9:1, calcination temperature 800°C, reaction temperature 65°C, and reaction time of 5 h, which gave maximum biodiesel yield of 84%. Reusability of the catalyst was also confirmed by repeated use of the same catalyst three times without losing much of its activity. Hence, calcined goat bones were found to be a potentially applicable catalyst for biodiesel production at industrial scale.