Renewable Energy Innovations

8Biodiesel Production: Advance Techniques and Future Prospective

Satyajit Chowdhury^1,2*, Romsha Singh³, Saket Kumar Shrivastava³ and Jitendra S. Sangwai^2,4,5†

¹ Assam Energy Institute, Sivasagar (A Center of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology Jais, Amethi), India

² Gas Hydrate and Flow Assurance Laboratory, Petroleum Engineering Program, Department of Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India

³ School of Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, India

⁴ Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India

⁵ Center of Excellence on Subsurface Mechanics and Geo-Energy, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India

Abstract

With an ever-increasing need for energy, ongoing usage of fossil fuels and concerns about carbon emissions have motivated growing study into sustainable and renewable energy sources as alternatives to fossil fuels. Biodiesel is one of the most commonly acknowledged methods for replacing rapidly decreasing hydrocarbon and other fossil fuels, among other renewable resources. Biodiesel is less costly than crude oil-based products and is easily adaptable to traditional transportation and combustion systems. It can be synthesized from a wide range of feedstocks, which make it accessible across the globe. This chapter focuses on the qualities of biodiesel and discusses the various biodiesel synthesis procedures as well as their viability. Types of catalysts ...