Short Review of Biodiesel Production by the Esterification/Transesterification of Wastewater Containing Fats Oils and Grease (FOGs)

Abstract

Nowadays, the transformation of biomass into valuable chemicals and fuels through thermochemical, biochemical or even mixed technologies, is becoming increasingly popular and challenging. A promising solution for the near future is the substitution of non-renewable fossil fuels with a sustainable liquid feedstock for biofuel (biodiesel) production. The cost of conventional biodiesel production is higher than that of petroleum-based diesel production since it is produced mostly from expensive high-quality virgin oil. Conventionally, commercial biodiesel is produced via liquid base-catalyzed transesterification of triglycerides components of oil/fat with short-chain alcohols. It is that about 70–80% of the overall biodiesel production cost is associated with the cost of raw materials. Brown grease (with free fatty acid levels > 15%) is created from rendered trap waste and is known as Fats, Oils, and Greases (FOGs), it is a potential source of biodiesel feedstocks and is available at no cost. Many researchers are interested in using low-cost high Free Fatty Acid (FFA) oils as the feedstock for biodiesel production. This paper reviews the effect of feedstock pre-treatment and process parameters on the conversion of FOGs-wastewater to biodiesel by esterification-transesterification process.