The Potential for a Sustainable Biodiesel Production by Modified Biobased Catalyst–A review

Biodiesel which is a green fuel derived by the transesterification of vegetable oil is a renewable and environmentally friendly approach to energy generation. Unlike diesel fuel, that has greatly fostered greenhouse gas emissions, a major concern for the environment. On the other hand, the use of biodiesel is economically feasible and biodegradable with lower toxicity. Biodiesel is made from different materials but the availability of these materials as well as the cost-effectiveness are the contributing factors to the large-scale production of biodiesel. Thus, interest in a potentially clean and easily available sustainable energy from fairly cheap eco-friendly materials is a necessity. Biobase catalysts are derived from reusable, non-toxic, high catalytic activity materials that have high water tolerance properties and are capable of preventing the formation of by-products such as soaps produced when homogeneous catalysts are adopted which requires lots of water to be removed and disposed properly. Hence, this review was carried out to assess the recent heterogeneous biobased and modified biobased catalyst for sustainable production of biodiesel and compare their performance in terms of biodiesel yield, quality, and suitability for industrial application. The current diversion into biodiesel production using waste biobased catalysts has paved the way for sustainable energy management by means of converting waste to cleaner energy production.