Determination of Optimal Catalyst Concentration for Maximum Biodiesel Yield from Tigernut (Cyperus Esculentus) Oil

The profitability of biodiesel production largely depends on the understanding of all the processes involved, especially the optimal values of the transesterification process parameters. In this work, the concentration level of catalyst, potassium hydroxide (KOH) that gives the optimal yield of biodiesel from tigernut (cyperus esculentus) oil was determined. This value was obtained as 0.9 % weight (in gram) of catalyst per volume of transesterified tigernut oil and it gave a biodiesel yield fraction of 0.67.