Synthesis of fatty acid methyl esters via the transesterification of waste cooking oil by methanol with a barium-modified montmorillonite K10 catalyst

The transesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO) with methanol to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) in the presence of barium-modified montmorillonite K10 (BMK10) catalyst was investigated in a batch reactor. The influence of the reaction parameters on the yield of FAME was investigated. The highest value of 83.38% was obtained with 3.5 wt% catalyst loading at 150 °C with a methanol: oil molar ratio of 12:1 during a reaction time of 5 h. BMK10 is a promising low-cost catalyst for the transesterification of WCO to produce FAME.