Biodiesel is produced through a transesterification process between triglycerides and analcohol, usually methanol, using an acidic, basic, or enzymatic catalyst (Figure 2-1). Typicaltriglyceride sources include vegetable oils, waste cooking oils, and animal fats. Alkali catalystssuch as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide are commonly used (Ma and Hanna, 1999).Triglycerides are composed of three long chain fatty acids connected to a glycerol backbone.When the triglycerides react with methanol the fatty acid chains are released (Zhang et al., 2003).Since the reaction is reversible, excess methanol is typically used to shift the equilibrium to theproducts side. The reaction forms methyl esters (biodiesel) and a crude glycerol byproduct (Maand Hanna, 1999).
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