Production and Characterization of Biodiesel from Castor Seed Oil Using Cocoa Pod Ash as Catalyst

A major problem retarding the commercialization of biodiesel is the derivation of catalysts and feedstocks from high‐cost materials. Hence, the following proposal is being put forward to mitigate this challenge: Extract and characterize castor oil, synthesize and characterize cocoa pod ash as the base catalyst, and apply the base catalyst for biodiesel production. Cocoa pods were heated at 600 °C for 35 min in a muffle furnace and the product sieved to obtain ash with uniform size distribution. The yield of castor oil extracted was 42 %, and the synthesized catalyst was capable of transesterifying the extracted oil. Castor oil was converted to biodiesel with cocoa pod ash as catalyst. A biodiesel yield of 88 % was obtained. The catalyst was characterized by various methods to confirm the presence of active sites. The physicochemical properties of the biodiesel product are consistent with literature values. Production of eco‐friendly biodiesel from castor oil and cocoa pods is described. Cocoa pod ash with uniform size distribution was obtained by thermal treatment of cocoa pod husk followed by sieving and used as catalyst for transesterification of castor oil extracted from castor seed paste with methanol to afford biodiesel in a yield of 88 % with glycerol as byproduct.