A review on non-edible oil as a potential feedstock for biodiesel: physicochemical properties and production technologies

• Published in: RSC advances Vol. 11; no. 4; pp. 2518 - 2537
• Main Authors: Abdul Hakim Shaah, Marwan, Hossain, Md. Sohrab, Salem Allafi, Faisal Aboelksim, Alsaedi, Alyaa, Ismail, Norli, Ab Kadir, Mohd Omar, Ahmad, Mardiana Idayu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 19.07.2021; The Royal Society of Chemistry
• Subjects: Alternative fuels; Biodiesel fuels; Chemistry; Crops; Depletion; Diesel engines; Fatty acids; Fossil fuels; Population growth; Production costs; Production increases; Raw materials; Urbanization
• ISSN: 2046-2069; 2046-2069
• DOI: 10.1039/d1ra04311k

There is increasing concern regarding alleviating world energy demand by determining an alternative to petroleum-derived fuels due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, rapid population growth, and urbanization. Biodiesel can be utilized as an alternative fuel to petroleum-derived diesel for the combustion engine. At present, edible crops are the primary source of biodiesel production. However, the excessive utilization of these edible crops for large-scale biodiesel production might cause food supply depletion and economic imbalance. Moreover, the utilization of edible oil as a biodiesel feedstock increases biodiesel production costs due to the high price of edible oils. A possible solution to overcome the existing limitations of biodiesel production is to utilize non-edible crops oil as a feedstock. The present study was conducted to determine the possibility and challenges of utilizing non-edible oil as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production. Several aspects related to non-edible oil as a biodiesel feedstock such as overview of biodiesel feedstocks, non-edible oil resources, non-edible oil extraction technology, its physicochemical and fatty acid properties, biodiesel production technologies, advantages and limitation of using non-edible oil as a feedstock for biodiesel production have been reviewed in various recent publications. The finding of the present study reveals that there is a huge opportunity to utilize non-edible oil as a feedstock for biodiesel production. There is increasing concern regarding alleviating world energy demand by determining an alternative to petroleum-derived fuels due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, rapid population growth, and urbanization.