Increased environmental awareness and depletion of petroleum resources are driving industry to research alternative and sustainable fuels. Biodiesel is gaining more recognition because it is a renewable, biodegradable, sulfur free, and alternative fuel which can be produced by the transesterification of vegetable oils, used cooking oil or animal fats.

In this study, new analytical methods for the quantification of mono-, di-, triglycerides, ethyl ester, glycerin, and ethanol in the reaction mixture were developed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). This presentation will further discuss the effect of ethanol concentration, catalyst amount, and reaction temperature on the biodiesel yield.