Biodiesel: A Future fuel (A Review)

Abstract

Due to the concern on the availability of recoverable fossil fuel reserves and the environmental problems caused by the use those fossil fuels, considerable attention has been given to biodiesel production as an alternative to petro diesel. The general way to produce biodiesel fuel is by Transesterification of vegetable oil with methanol in the presence of either alkaline or strong acid catalysts. Transesterification reaction is quite sensitive to various parameters. An ideal Transesterification reaction differs on the basis of variables such as fatty acid composition and the free fatty acid content of the oil.  The benefits of biodiesel go far beyond the clean burning nature of the product. Bio diesel is a renewable resource helping to reduce the dependence of the economy on limited resources and imports, create a market for farmers and reduce the amount of waste oil, fat and grease being dumped into landfills and sewers. This paper reviews the production and use of Biodiesel fuel as an alternative fuel for existing IC engines.