Large-scale Biodiesel Production Research Articles

Artificial neuro-fuzzy intelligent prediction of techno-economic parameters of computer-aided scale-up for palm kernel oil based biodiesel production

Palm kernel oil (PKO) is one of the promising starting materials for biodiesel production. Economic viability of large-scale biodiesel production from PKO happens to be the major challenge, as investors would like to know the overall cost-benefit value before making decisions. Therefore, this study develops artificial intelligence (AI) techno-economic models for predicting overall cost-benefit value which will provide fundamental investment decisions for potential investors. The two AI techniques used in this study were artificial neural networks (ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). The input-output data for modelling was gotten from a previous work which based solely on experimental design for PKO for biodiesel production. The input variables are Methanol:oil ratio, temperature, catalyst quantity, residence time and catalyst calcination temperature, while return on investment (ROI), payback time (PBT), net present value (NPV) and production capacity (PC) are the responses. ANN and Fuzzy Logic Toolboxes in MATLAB R2013a were used for model implementation. The developed models were appraised using statistical indices such as coefficient of determination (R2) and root mean square error (RMSE). The results showed that, trimf based ANFIS models (ROI- R2: 0.9999; RMSE: 7.39 × 10−7; PBT- R2: 0.9999; RMSE: 5.32 × 10−7; NPV- R2: 0.9999; RMSE: 5.89 × 10−7; PC- R2: 0.9999; RMSE: 5.89 × 10−7) performed marginally better than ANN models (ROI- R2: 0.9496; RMSE: 0.0599; PBT- R2: 0.9945; RMSE: 0.0373; NPV- R2: 0.9957; RMSE: 0.0384; PC- R2: 0.9959; RMSE: 0.0376). Also, the relative significance of input parameters based on sensitivity analysis showed catalyst calcination temperature (CT) as the most significant input parameter. These findings show that both the ANFIS and ANN models are effective in predicting techno-economic parameters.

Utilization of Fungal Bioprocess for Biodiesel Production as a Green Energy Source

The trend toward new research studies focused on searching for sustainable sources of clean energy has increased to ensure the sustainability of energy worldwide due to reasons such as the scarcity of fossil-based fuels and the environmental impact of conventional sources. Biofuel is a good candidate to become a world leader in the development and deployment of renewable energy sources among other green energy sources. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel produced from renewable biological resources and can be produced using microbial resources such as algae, bacteria, and fungi. Biodiesel produced from microbial lipids is an important and effective green energy source. Fungi exhibit a high capacity for biodiesel production by accumulating more than 70 percent of intracellular lipids in their biomass during metabolic stress periods. This study aims to examine the studies focused on the use of fungal lipids as a source of biodiesel in recent years. In addition, the conditions in which the highest biodiesel production efficiency was obtained, including preliminary information that will guide further studies on large-scale production of biodiesel from fungi were reviewed.

Application of Tubular Reactor Technologies for the Acceleration of Biodiesel Production.

The need to arrest the continued environmental contamination and degradation associated with the consumption of fossil-based fuels has continued to serve as an impetus for the increased utilization of renewable fuels. The demand for biodiesel has continued to escalate in the past few decades due to urbanization, industrialization, and stringent government policies in favor of renewable fuels for diverse applications. One of the strategies for ensuring the intensification, commercialization, and increased utilization of biodiesel is the adaptation of reactor technologies, especially tubular reactors. The current study reviewed the deployment of different types and configurations of tubular reactors for the acceleration of biodiesel production. The feedstocks, catalysts, conversion techniques, and modes of biodiesel conversion by reactor technologies are highlighted. The peculiarities, applications, merits, drawbacks, and instances of biodiesel synthesis through a packed bed, fluidized bed, trickle bed, oscillatory flow, and micro-channel tubular reactor technologies are discussed to facilitate a better comprehension of the mechanisms behind the technology. Indeed, the deployment of the transesterification technique in tubular reactor technologies will ensure the ecofriendly, low-cost, and large-scale production of biodiesel, a high product yield, and will generate high-quality biodiesel. The outcome of this study will enrich scholarship and stimulate a renewed interest in the application of tubular reactors for large-scale biodiesel production among biodiesel refiners and other stakeholders. Going forward, the use of innovative technologies such as robotics, machine learning, smart metering, artificial intelligent, and other modeling tools should be deployed to monitor reactor technologies for biodiesel production.

Evaluation of halophilic microalgae isolated from Rabigh Red Sea coastal area for biodiesel production: Screening and biochemical studies

In the present study, different water samples from Red Sea coastal area at Rabigh city, Saudi Arabia were studied for their dominant algal species. Microalgal isolation was carried out based on dilution method and morphologically examined using F/2 as a growth medium. Dry weight and main biochemical composition (protein, carbohydrates, lipids) of all species were performed at the end of the growth, and biodiesel characteristics were estimated. Nannochloropsis sp., Dunaliella sp., Tetraselmis sp., Prorocentrum sp., Chlorella sp., Nitzschia sp., Coscinodiscus sp., and Navicula sp. were the most dominant species in the collected water samples and were used for further evaluation. Nannochloropsis sp. surpassed all other isolates in concern of biomass production with the maximum recorded dry weight of 0.89 g L−1, followed by Dunaliella sp. (0.69 g L−1). The highest crude protein content was observed in Nitzschia sp. (38.21%) and Dunaliella sp. (18.01%), while Nannochloropsis sp. showed 13.38%, with the lowest recorded lipid content in Coscinodiscus sp. (10.09%). Based on the growth, lipid content, and biodiesel characteristics, the present study suggested Dunaliella sp. and Nitzschia sp. as promising candidates for further large-scale biodiesel production.

A comprehensive review on microalgal biomass production and processing for biodiesel production

Biodiesel is considered a promising alternative to conventional fuels in response to increasing global energy demands, and it also contributes to reduced environmental emissions. Microalgae is a potential resource for qualitative biodiesel production due to its high specific growth rate, ability to accumulate significant quantities of intracellular lipids, potential to utilize wastewater as a cultivation medium and less cropland requirement compared to conventional oil crops. However, the commercialization of microalgae biodiesel largely depends on the energy and cost-efficiency of the microalgae cultivation system. Moreover, optimization of cultivation systems and strain improvement in microalgae are promising strategies to enhance the growth rate and lipid productivities. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the various microalgae cultivation systems, focusing on the recent developments, including the genetic engineering perspectives in improving microalgae growth and lipid productivity, techno-economic analysis, and real case studies for microalgal biodiesel production. The review paper also summarizes the microalgae harvesting and lipid extraction processes, transesterification methodologies, quality of microalgae biodiesel, and environmental concerns associated with the large-scale production of microalgae biodiesel.

Biodiesel Production from Alkali-Catalyzed Transesterification of Tamarindus indica Seed Oil and Optimization of Process Conditions.

Biodiesel is considered a sustainable alternative to petro-diesel owing to several favorable characteristics. However, higher production costs, primarily due to the use of costly edible oils as raw materials, are a chief impediment to its pecuniary feasibility. Exploring non-edible oils as raw material for biodiesel is an attractive strategy that would address the economic constraints associated with biodiesel production. This research aims to optimize the reaction conditions for the production of biodiesel through an alkali-catalyzed transesterification of Tamarindus indica seed oil. The Taguchi method was applied to optimize performance parameters such as alcohol-to-oil molar ratio, catalyst amount, and reaction time. The fatty acid content of both oil and biodiesel was determined using gas chromatography. The optimized conditions of alcohol-to-oil molar ratio (6:1), catalyst (1.5% w/w), and reaction time 1 h afforded biodiesel with 93.5% yield. The most considerable contribution came from the molar ratio of alcohol to oil (75.9%) followed by the amount of catalyst (20.7%). In another case, alcohol to oil molar ratio (9:1), catalyst (1.5% w/w) and reaction time 1.5 h afforded biodiesel 82.5% yield. The fuel properties of Tamarindus indica methyl esters produced under ideal conditions were within ASTM D6751 biodiesel specified limits. Findings of the study indicate that Tamarindus indica may be chosen as a prospective and viable option for large-scale production of biodiesel, making it a substitute for petro-diesel.

Radish (Raphanus sativus L.) leaves: A novel source for a highly efficient heterogeneous base catalyst for biodiesel production using waste soybean cooking oil and Scenedesmus obliquus oil

In this study, a novel heterogeneous catalyst from the unexploited radish leaves (Raphanus sativus L.) was synthesized and employed for biodiesel production using waste soybean cooking oil (SWCO) and Scenedesmus obliquus oil (OSO). The synthesized catalyst (CLP) was characterized by FTIR, BET, XRD, TGA, SEM, TEM, EDX, BET, and XPS. Moreover, the Hammett indicator test and CO2-TPD were used to assess the derived catalyst's basicity. The results reported the presence of Ca, S, Si, Cl, Al, P, Mg, Mn, Na, and a high percentage of potassium (57.30 wt%) in the form of carbonates and oxides. The maximum SWCO and OSO conversion of 98.0% and 91.32% were obtained using 6 wt% and 5 wt% catalyst loading and 12:1, 16:1 methanol to oil molar ratio for 150 and 90 min at 60 °C, respectively. The CLP exhibits excellent recyclability, achieving 90.57% oil conversion after four successive cycles. The fuel properties of the produced biodiesel were compatible with international standards. The synthesized catalyst is highly efficient, cheap, renewable, green, and can help reduce biodiesel production costs. Thus, the CLP catalyst might be a promising candidate for large-scale biodiesel production with a competitive price.

Water-plasma-enhanced and phase-separation-assisted extraction of microalgal lipid for biodiesel production

Traditional methods for lipid extraction from microalgal biomass usually involve harsh reaction conditions or the use of contaminant reagents, which lead to enormous energy consumption and wastage. Hence, a novel strategy was presented, which combined water-plasma and three-phase partitioning (TPP) techniques. Benefiting from its unique advantages such as rapid and low cost, water-plasma strategy can disrupt microalgal cell wall and can thus greatly affect lipid extraction. As a result, assisted with the TPP method, excellent performance lipid recovery (74.34%) was obtained at 200 W in 10 min. The performance was superior to that achieved through cell disruption via water-plasma pretreatment. Importantly, the whole process of lipid extraction prevented the drying of microalgal biomass, contributing to reduced energy consumption in large-scale biodiesel production. Moreover, the high fatty acids content suggested that the extracted lipids are great potential candidate for biodiesel production.

Biodiesel Production from Waste Oils: A South African Outlook

The viability of large-scale biodiesel production ultimately boils down to its cost of commercialisation despite other very important factors such as the negative environmental and health effects caused by the direct combustion of fossil diesel. How much each country’s economy will be influenced by the production of biodiesel will be determined by the commitment of various stakeholders to the much-needed transition from petroleum-based resources to renewable resources. Biodiesel production is largely determined by the cost of the feedstock (>70%) and this review focuses on the use of waste oil resources as biodiesel feedstock with a special focus on waste cooking oil (WCO). Generating value from waste oil provides an alternative waste management route as well as a positive environmental and economic contribution. The transesterification process for biodiesel production, its catalysis and some important technical and economic aspects are covered in this communication with a special focus on the South African framework. An overview of the current research and its implications going forward is discussed.

Advancements in Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) Seed Oils for Biodiesel Production.

With the increasing demand for fossil fuels, decreasing fossil fuel reserves and deteriorating global environment, humanity urgently need to explore new clean and renewable energy to replace fossil fuel resources. Biodiesel, as an environmentally friendly fuel that has attracted considerable attention because of its renewable, biodegradable, and non-toxic superiority, seems to be a solution for future fuel production. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), an industrial crop, is traditionally used for manufacturing cigarettes. More importantly, tobacco seed is also widely being deemed as a typical inedible oilseed crop for the production of second-generation biodiesel. Advancements in raw material and enhanced production methods are currently needed for the large-scale and sustainable production of biodiesel. To this end, this study reviews various aspects of extraction and transesterification methods, genetic and agricultural modification, and properties and application of tobacco biodiesel, while discussing the key problems in tobacco biodiesel production and application. Besides, the proposals of new ways or methods for producing biodiesel from tobacco crops are presented. Based on this review, we anticipate that this can further promote the development and application of biodiesel from tobacco seed oil by increasing the availability and reducing the costs of extraction, transesterification, and purification methods, cultivating new varieties or transgenic lines with high oilseed contents, formulating scientific agricultural norms and policies, and improving the environmental properties of biodiesel.

Physiological Response of an Oil-Producing Microalgal Strain to Salinity and Light Stress.

By separating and extracting algae from the collected water samples, an oil-producing diatom strain was obtained. Microscopic observation of the strain revealed that its morphological characteristics were highly similar to those of the genus Cyclotella. The cloning of 18S rDNA and phylogenetic analysis showed that the algae were clustered with Cyclotella menegheniana with a high support rate, indicating that the alga was C. menegheniana. The fatty acid content of the alga was determined and found to be mainly C14, C16, and C18 fatty acids, which were in accordance with the relevant standards for edible oil. In this study, different gradient levels of salinity and light were set to investigate the culture and bioactive substance production of C. menegheniana. The results showed that the best growth condition was achieved when the salinity was 15 g·L−1, and its biomass and oil content were the highest at 0.27 g·L−1 and 21%, respectively. The final biomass was the highest when the light intensity was 2000 Lux and the oil content was 18.7%. The results of the study provided a basis for the large-scale production of edible oils and biodiesel.

Sustainable and eco-friendly synthesis of biodiesel from novel and non-edible seed oil of Monotheca buxifolia using green nano-catalyst of calcium oxide

Presently, biodiesel offers a sustainable and renewable substitute for exhausting fossil fuels such as Petro-diesel. Large scale production of biodiesel could lead to positive outcomes in terms of environmental quality by reducing greenhouse gasses emission and Societal-Economic development. Hence, this research work focused on biodiesel synthesis from novel and non-edible seed oil of Monotheca buxifolia using green nano-particles of calcium oxide synthesized with aqueous leaves extract of Boerhavia procumbens. Advanced techniques like X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy diffraction X-Ray (EDX) were used to characterize calcium oxide nano-particles. High yield of biodiesel (95%) was obtained at optimum reaction conditions such as methanol to oil molar ratio of 9:1, catalyst loading 0.83 (wt.%), reaction time 180 min and temperature 85 °C. Gas Chromatography/Mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) analysis of biodiesel revealed four distinct peaks of methyl esters. Results of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) confirmed the formation of methyl esters in biodiesel sample. Fuel properties of biodiesel such as density (0.821 kg/m3), viscosity (5.35 mm2/s), cloud point (-8 ◦C), pour point (-9 ◦C) and flash point (95 ◦C) were found equivalent to international ASTM D-6571, EN 14,214 and China GB/T 20828–2007 standards. It was finally concluded that Monotheca buxifolia is a highly potential, eco-friendly, and cheaper biomass feedstock for biodiesel production.

Identification and analysis of stem‐specific promoters from sugarcane and energy cane for oil accumulation in their stems

AbstractConsiderable recent progress has been achieved in bioengineering oil accumulation in the vegetative tissues of plants, opening an opportunity for large scale production of biodiesel, jet fuel, lubricants, and high‐value lipid bioproducts. For the highly productive C4 crops, such as sugarcane, energy cane, Miscanthus, and fiber sorghums, the bulk of the biomass is the stem. However, little success has been made in accumulating oil in the stem. Since engineering a trait with a constitutive promoter often results in pleiotropic effects that counter trait improvement, identification of stem parenchyma‐specific promoters is a prerequisite for efficient use of the ample photoassimilates stored in mature stem parenchyma cells. In this study, we first identified two TST genes encoding homologues of tonoplast sugar transporters that were strongly and almost exclusively expressed in the stems of canes via a combination of RNA‐seq atlas analysis, in silico analysis of a sugarcane genome, phylogenetic analysis, and quantitative PCR analysis. They were further confirmed in the pith parenchyma cells of the mature stem by RNA in situ hybridization. When fused with the β‐Glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene, the promoters of two alleles, TST2b‐1A and TST2b‐1C, from one TST gene demonstrated that they could drive the GUS expression exclusively in the stem in Arabidopsis.

Highly active and durable Ca-based solid base catalyst for biodiesel production

Calcium-based (Ca-based) oxides are promising candidates to replace sodium or potassium hydroxide as base catalysts in transesterification for biodiesel production, owe to their high activity and recyclability. However, their readily leaching in the reaction process is the main reason for its low reusability. This problem has long been the bottleneck of heterogeneous catalytic transesterification for biodiesel production. To solve this problem, we employed a solid-state synthesis approach to fabricate the Ca-based solid base catalyst, which showed extraordinarily high activity and stability for biodiesel synthesis. The catalyst, named NCS, could achieve up to 98.0% biodiesel (fatty acid methyl esters, FAMEs) yield in 1 h at 90 °C with 5 wt% of catalyst loading. The catalyst can be reused 26 times with a biodiesel yield of at least 90.0%. With thorough characterization, we found that the extraordinary performance of the catalyst owes to the strong basic sites and its anti-carbonation ability. The strong basic sites, formed by the coordination between O, Na, Si, and Ca, can also moderate the leaching of Ca-related basic sites into the reaction medium. Performance reduction of NCS could be attributed to the shift of strong basic sites to weaker ones without significant loss of total basic sites. Above all, we believe that the NCS catalyst is a promising catalyst for large-scale biodiesel production.

Organic-waste-derived butyric acid-to-biodiesel supply-chain network: Strategic planning design using a deterministic snapshot model

An integrated optimization model for an organic-waste-derived butyric acid-to-butanol supply-chain network (BABSCN) is proposed to minimize the total network cost by simultaneously optimizing both strategic biodiesel production and waste management planning decisions. This model is useful for ensuring effective organic-waste provision for large-scale biodiesel production and waste management. The proposed mixed-integer linear-programming model optimizes the activities ranging from organic-waste preprocessing to butyric acid (BA), transportation of BA to biorefinery, butanol (BuOH) production and mixing with diesel to the distribution of biodiesel. This model is useful for forecasting organic-waste management biodiesel supply chains in South Korea in 2030. The case study results show that a total network cost of $US 3.16/gallon of B3 contains 3% BuOH from organic waste products combined with diesel. The biorefinery-related cost accounts for 98.3% of the total network cost, followed by the organic waste procurement cost (1.1%) and biodiesel distribution cost (0.6%). A scenario-based analysis shows that a 7%-BuOH increase in biodiesel increases the total network cost by 18.8%.

Biodiesel production through transesterification of Chlorella vulgaris: Synthesis and characterization of CaO nanocatalyst

Current research deals with the effective, economic and ecofriendly conversion of algal oil into biodiesel using Calcium oxide (CaO) nanocatalyast. CaO nanoparticles were used as an alkaline catalyst for the transesterification of the indigenous green alga, Chlorella vulgaris oil into biodiesel. The catalyst was subjected to different calcination temperatures and their effect on complete transesterification of algal oil at different concentrations was also studied. The characteristics of the nanocatalyst were investigated using UV–Vis spectrophotometer, Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) equipped with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). It was found that various parameters such as reaction time, temperature and catalyst amount influences the fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) yield. The ideal conditions for transesterification process were optimized as a methanol to oil molar ratio of 9:0.6, a reaction period of 4 h, a catalyst loading at 4% and a reaction temperature of 80 °C. Gas chromatographic analysis revealed a fatty acid profile highly suitable for biodiesel production. A catalyst concentration of 3 mg.L-1 of CaO synthesized at 400 °C was found to be ideal for the transesterification process. These approaches could make massive impact on the large scale biodiesel production minimizing the hefty capital costs.

The Potential for a Sustainable Biodiesel Production by Modified Biobased Catalyst–A review

Biodiesel which is a green fuel derived by the transesterification of vegetable oil is a renewable and environmentally friendly approach to energy generation. Unlike diesel fuel, that has greatly fostered greenhouse gas emissions, a major concern for the environment. On the other hand, the use of biodiesel is economically feasible and biodegradable with lower toxicity. Biodiesel is made from different materials but the availability of these materials as well as the cost-effectiveness are the contributing factors to the large-scale production of biodiesel. Thus, interest in a potentially clean and easily available sustainable energy from fairly cheap eco-friendly materials is a necessity. Biobase catalysts are derived from reusable, non-toxic, high catalytic activity materials that have high water tolerance properties and are capable of preventing the formation of by-products such as soaps produced when homogeneous catalysts are adopted which requires lots of water to be removed and disposed properly. Hence, this review was carried out to assess the recent heterogeneous biobased and modified biobased catalyst for sustainable production of biodiesel and compare their performance in terms of biodiesel yield, quality, and suitability for industrial application. The current diversion into biodiesel production using waste biobased catalysts has paved the way for sustainable energy management by means of converting waste to cleaner energy production.

Candlenut oil: review on oil properties and future liquid biofuel prospects

The rapid depletion of diesel fuel, increasing energy demand, and environmental pollution concerns are increasing worldwide interest in the production of liquid biofuels. Biofuel (bio-aviation and biodiesel) is a potential and plausible alternative to diesel fuel to substantially mitigate the environmental impact of future energy demand. Non-edible crop oil is viewed as a potential feedstock for liquid biofuel production owing to the massive demand for edible oil as a food source. However, the major limitation of utilizing non-edible crop oil for biodiesel production is the cost due to the high price of feedstocks and the limited supply of large-scale biodiesel production. Candlenut trees can grow in harsh and arid climates due to low moisture requirements. Therefore, candlenut can be cultivated in the most unused lands, particularly in developing countries along coasts and riverbanks and in deserts and other wastelands unsuitable for edible crops. Additionally, candlenut seed contains a high amount of oil (30%-60%). Thus, candlenut oil is a promising source for commercial biodiesel production. The present study was conducted to review the possibilities and challenges of utilizing candlenut as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production. Additionally, several important aspects related to candlenut oil processing, such as extraction technology, physicochemical properties, biodiesel production technologies, and advantages and limitations of candlenut biodiesel production are discussed.

Economic evaluation and production process simulation of biodiesel production from waste cooking oil

Waste cooking oil (WCO) is a promising feedstock for producing biodiesel, which plays a significant role in waste resource reusing and renewable energy production. It is known that cost is the main factor restricting the large-scale production of biodiesel. Therefore, the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) method was used to analyze the economic feasibility of the biodiesel production process from WCO. Our results show that the cost of producing 1 ​t of WCO biodiesel is 6291.56 RMB, which is 65.28% higher than the cost of diesel. The factors influencing WCO biodiesel production cost was further analyzed. Although WCO has a low commercial price, necessary pretreatment is inevitable and creates additional processing cost, since WCO cannot be directly used for transesterification to produce biodiesel. The cost of pretreatment process is relatively high, accounting for 15.60% of the total cost. Special waste management policy should be implemented and waste cooking oil recycling technology should be advanced, in order to make WCO biodiesel more economically competitive. Aspen Plus software was used to simulate the production process of biodiesel from WCO, and the production process was simulated by a two-step method. The practicability of simulation was confirmed by purity of biodiesel reaching 99.6 ​wt%. In the simulation, processing parameters of methanol rectification tower and biodiesel rectification tower were optimized to provide a reliable benchmark for the industrial biodiesel production from WCO.

Fabrication and Optimization of Nanocatalyst for Biodiesel Production: An Overview

Necessity and exploitation of fossil fuel products are implacable in serving the needs of humanity despite being a finite and limited resource. To meet the thrust of energy, biofuels derived from varieties of renewable resources are imperative in fulfilling the demand of renewable fuels on a large scale without creating environmental concerns. Biofuels are inevitably the result of the carbon fixation process which stores chemical energy, ultimately reducing the total amount of carbon dioxide. Different kinds of biofuels like bioethanol, biomethanol, biogas, and biodiesel are derived depending on varieties of feedstock materials. Among these, production of biodiesel augments the progression of clean and renewable fuel. In this review, we have discussed the production of biodiesel derived from various feedstock and using several processes like pyrolysis, direct blending, micro-emulsion, and trans-esterification, with critical discussion focussing on increasing biodiesel production using nanocatalysts. Biodiesel production mainly proceeds through homogenous and heterogeneous catalysis via trans-esterification method. The review further discusses the significance of nanocatalyst in heterogeneous catalysis based trans-esterification for large scale biodiesel production. With the advent of nanotechnology, designing and modification of nanocatalyst gives rise to attractive properties such as increased surface area, high thermal stability, and enhanced catalytic activity. The role of nanocatalysts have been extensively studied and investigated in regard to the increased biodiesel production. Along with the modification of nanocatalysts, we have briefly discussed the physico-chemical properties and the role of the optimization parameters as it plays a pivotal role in enhancing the biodiesel production commercially.