Biodiesel production from poultry wastes: Waste chicken fat and eggshell

One of the major setbacks to biodiesel production is its relatively higher cost compared to petroleum diesel. Eggshell and waste chicken fat are poultry wastes that can be valorized as cheap sources of catalyst and oil respectively for the production of biodiesel. In this work, eggshell waste catalyst was investigated for the transesterification of waste chicken fat as an affordable value addition process applicable especially in developing countries. The heterogeneous catalyst prepared by calcination of eggshell at 1000 degrees C was used in the transesterification experiments, considering catalyst concentration and reaction time. SEM analysis of the prepared catalyst indicated that the shape and size of the particles of derived eggshell decreased after calcination. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis confirmed the biodiesel produced at the highest yield. A maximum yield of 90.2% biodiesel was obtained at 2% catalyst weight and 2 h reaction time. The properties of the biodiesel (acid value, saponification value, viscosity) conformed to ASTM standards. The yield shows that eggshell waste is a potential affordable catalyst source for biodiesel production from chicken fat feedstock.

Automated summary

Eggshell waste was investigated as a potential catalyst source for the transesterification of chicken fat, resulting in a maximum biodiesel yield of 90.2% that met ASTM standards. The study demonstrated that eggshell waste could be an affordable and effective catalyst for biodiesel production from chicken fat feedstock.