Transesterification of <i><i>Prunus armeniaca</i></i> oil using calcium methoxide as a catalyst: Identification of methyl esters and proposed mechanistic pathways

The utilization of nonedible feedstocks for biodiesel production is getting top priority in the recent years, as they do not interfere with the global food economy. In the present study, calcium methoxide (Ca(OCH₃)₂) catalyst was synthesized for the production of biodiesel from Prunus armeniaca oil via transesterification reaction. Under optimized reaction conditions, the biodiesel yield of 89.93% was achieved and catalyst could be reused for four times with slight loss in activity. The fatty acid methyl esters in the produced biodiesel were detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and six fragments were identified based on mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) at different retention time. The fuel properties of the biodiesel obtained were in conformity with the ASTM standards.