Production and Growth Prospects of Second-Generation Biodiesel Using Waste Animal Fat

India is a developing country and demand of energy has risen rapidly due to increasing industrialisation and modernisation. The major energy demand met from fossil sources of energy such as petroleum, coal and natural gases. Down the time, the limited reserve of fossil fuel has drawn the attention of the modern world to search the alternative sources of fuels. Biodiesel fuel is of recent growing interest and is being strongly recommended over other fossil sources of energy. In the present experimental investigation, an attempt has been made to produce biodiesel from animal waste fat. India is known to be the largest exporter of meat in the world surpassing Brazil and Australia. Large amount of meat is, thus, wasted even after being used in few industries. Initially, the amount of free fatty acid was bit higher which was easily reduced by a two-step-acid-catalysed esterification process followed by base catalysed transesterification process. The production was done using methanol and the properties of the waste animal fat methyl ester, obtained were compared with that of Jatropha oil, which is most widely used as feedstock in most of the biodiesel production processes. The yield of biodiesel with animal fat was in the range of 85–90% with glycerol as a byproduct.