Different biodiesel production technologies: A review

In the modern world, the demand for non-renewable energy sources is increasing day by day due to modernization and mechanization. Demand for electricity and enormous increase in the number of automobiles has resulted in greater demand for petroleum products. The increasing demand for the petroleum based fuels has led to oil crises in the recent times. Therefore attention has been focused on developing the renewable or alternate fuels to replace the petroleum based fuels for transport vehicles. Fossil fuels are commonly used fuel for automobiles. The reserve stock and exhaust gas emission of fossil fuel cause a serious problem. So there is a need of an alternative ecofriendly fuel. Renewable energy sources such as biodiesel, bioethanol, biomethane, and biomass from wastes or hydrogen have become the subjects of great interest. These fuels contribute to the reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. In addition, these energy sources could partially replace the use of those fuels which are responsible for environmental pollution and may be scarce in the future. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel produced from plant and animal material by esterification. Biodiesel has the potential to become a suitable substitute for diesel fuel in the future. However, the reduction of production costs and finding a permanent oil source have remained the two main concerns for this green fuel. In this article a comparison of different biodiesel production technologies is made and suggests the best one which helps to reduce the production cost of biodiesel.