Sanjay Basumatary
Abstract
Biodiesel, an alternative and renewable fuel for diesel engines, has become more attractive in recent times because of its renewability, biodegradability, nontoxicity and carbon neutrality. Biodiesel consists of mono alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids, more commonly methyl esters and is typically made from biological resources such as plant seed oils, animal fats or even waste cooking oils by transesterification with methanol. Transesterification reactions are catalyzed by acids, bases and enzymes. Heterogeneous catalysts are promising and receiving attention for the production of biodiesel. In the present paper, an attempt is being made to review on heterogeneous catalyst used in the production of biodiesel.