The College of Engineering at the University of Baghdad witnessed the public defense of the Master’s thesis by Sarah Shaker Mahmoud in the Department of Chemical Engineering. Her thesis, titled “Microwave Assisted Production of Biodiesel Using CaO Nano Catalyst Extract from Mango Leaves” was presented on Monday, January 20, 2025, in Professor Mahmoud Omar Hall within the Department of Chemical Engineering, under the supervision of Asst. Pro. Dr. Atheer Mohammed Al-Yaqoobi.
The study aims to explore the feasibility of producing biodiesel at a low cost by utilizing waste materials as raw feedstock and adopting sustainable methods that consume less energy and time while yielding higher biodiesel outputs with superior quality. The research demonstrated the potential of using plant waste, specifically fallen mango leaves, to produce nano catalysts. Nano calcium oxide was synthesized from mango leaves extract, and the resulting catalyst was characterized by its high surface area, efficiency, and catalytic activity.
The study further validated the catalyst’s effectiveness in producing biodiesel from waste cooking oil through two heating methods: conventional heating and microwave-assisted heating. The biodiesel produced using both methods was analyzed and found to be of high quality.
The research provided several key recommendations, including the feasibility of using plant waste to produce highly efficient nano catalysts. Moreover, microwave heating proved to be a sustainable method, achieving a biodiesel yield of over 96% within a short reaction time of 15 minutes and consuming minimal energy. The study also demonstrated that microwave heating could produce biodiesel with zero net electrical energy consumption, resulting in a net energy gain of 1.434 kWh/kg.
Following the academic discussion with the defense committee, the researcher was awarded a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering.
