Bio-diesel fuels have many advantages over petroleum
diesel fuel: produce less smoke and particles, have
higher cetane number, produce lower carbon monoxide
and hydrocarbon emissions, are renewable, biodegradable
and non-toxic. When ethyl esters are used as fuel
the advantage of totally recyclable CO2 cycle is obtained
since ethyl alcohol could be of vegetal origin [4].
Transesterification is not a new process. The scientists
Duffy and Patrick conducted it as early as 1853 [5].
Transesterification involves the reaction between an
alcohol and a vegetable oil or animal fat that are mixtures
of triglyceride (esters of glycerin with long chain
fatty acids).