production of methyl ester biofuel from sunflower oil via transesterification reaction

Methyl ester is a liquid biofuel obtained by chemical processes from vegetable oils or animal fats and an alcohol that can be used in diesel engines, alone or blended with diesel oil. in this study, the transesterification of sunflower oil with methanol was studied using naoh as catalyst. the dependence of the conversion of sonflower oil on the reactions variables as methyl ester preparation, separation of methyl ester from by-products, methyl ester purification, effect of molar ratio of methanol to oil on transesterification and the effect of catalyst concentration on transesterification were performed.