Biodiesel production from used cooking oil and cost appraisal for the purpose of reduction in dependence on petroleum oil in Laos

Abstract

To mitigate dependence on fossil fuels, the government of Lao PDR has promoted the development of alternative fuel production in the country. Biodiesel is one of the most feasible and attractive fuels. This paper presents a lab-scale biodiesel production from used cooking oil (UCO) and its cost appraisal. This biodiesel production is based on the base-catalyzed transesterification reaction. The optimum parameter value in terms of catalyst concentration and amount of methanol is examined to achieve the best biodiesel yield. The results of this study revealed that the optimized condition for producing biodiesel from 1 liter of UCO is obtained using 12 g of KOH and 20 % of MeOH under the operating temperature of 60 °C and mixing time of 30 min. With this condition, the maximum yield of biodiesel is obtained at 91.3%. The total cost of production for 1 liter of biodiesel produced is approximately 17782 LAK. Production quantity at break-even point is about 41989 liters, achieving a payback period of 2.67 years.