Investigation of CaO nanocatalyst synthesized from Acalypha indica leaves and its application in biodiesel production using waste cooking oil

Biodiesel is a non-toxic, decomposable and eco-friendly alternative fuel for petroleum-based fuels. In recent times, biodiesel production attracted industries, governments and researchers globally. Waste cooking oil (WCO) is used as a promising raw material for researchers to produce biodiesel. The biodiesel production from WCO is a cost-effective process and also helps in reducing the disposal issues of WCO. The aim of the present study is to synthesis calcium oxide (CaO) nanocatalyst from Acalypha indica to produce biodiesel from WCO. The reaction conditions for the transesterification reaction such as catalyst concentration, methanol to oil molar ratio, reaction temperature and time were optimized. The optimum process values were determined using RSM were 2.4 wt% of catalyst concentration, 11.8:1 of methanol: oil molar ratio, 63.7 degrees C of reaction temperature and 70 min of reaction time with the highest biodiesel yield of 94.74 %. The synthesized catalysts chemical bonds, size and morphological structure were analyzed using FTIR, XRD and SEM. The synthesized biodiesel was characterized using GC-MS and physicochemical properties were analyzed. This study suggests that biodiesel production from WCO using CaO nanocatalyst from Acalypha indica is a promising technique.