Optimization of Heterogeneous Biomass-Based Nano-Catalyzed Transesterification of Karanja Seed Oil for Production of Biodiesel

The current work focused on the optimization of transesterification reaction parameters for the synthesis of Karanja oil methyl ester (KOME) using grapefruit peel efficient catalyst. The reaction parameters, including catalyst loading (2–11 wt%), M/O molar ratio (5:1–15:1), and reaction duration (45–90 min), were optimized using central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology (RSM). Catalyst loading has the highest F-value (12.51) and the lowest p-value (0.0001) of these variables; hence, it is more significant parameter. The model depicted the highest KOME yield of 95.62% under optimal reaction conditions of 2.47 wt% catalyst loading, 5:1 methanol-to-oil molar ratio, and 45-min reaction time. Furthermore, the suggested KOME yield (%) was validated by an observed KOME yield of 94.12, 0.5% under the suggested optimum conditions. Therefore, the CCD of RSM is a suitable optimization tool for the optimization of reaction parameters for the synthesis of biodiesel.