Review on Heterogeneous Catalysis for Biodiesel Production

Due to growing worldwide demand for energy and its resulting impact on environment, it is becoming imperative to search for sustainable alternative fuels. Biodiesel obtained from transesterification of edible and non edible oils attracted lot of attention due to its eco-friendly nature.

The transesterification reaction can be carried out either using homogeneous catalysts like Sodium Hydroxide or sulfuric acid or heterogeneous catalysts like egg shell powder, various metal oxides, Sugar char and zeolites. The present paper describes the advantages of heterogeneous catalysts over homogeneous catalysts. A Review of available heterogeneous catalysts and their usage in biodiesel production are discussed.