Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Biodiesel and Related Fuel Additives

With the rising cost of non-renewable petroleum fuels, growing environmental concerns, and energy shortages, industrial-scale production of biofuels and their additives using readily available resources has gained a lot of attention. The cost-effective and commercial development of clean energy sources is expected to be aided by various renewable biomasses for the synthesis of biofuels or fuel additives. Microwave techniques with various precursors could be one of the strategies for the synthesis of biofuels or gasoline additives, with advantages such as being very energyefficient, less time-consuming, high selectivity, a greener approach, and high-yield producing procedures. This microwave effect is caused by microwave radiations interfacing with the molecules of solute, solvents, or catalysts throughout the reaction.

This book chapter covers a broad spectrum of scientific and instrumental aspects of microwave radiation methodology in chemical synthesis, the practical approach of the microwave reactor design, the production of different biofuels and additives using microwave techniques, and the advantages, and several limitations of this methodology.

Keywords: Biofuel additives, Biofuel, First-generation biofuel, Green chemistry, Microwave, Microwave synthesis of biofuel, Second-generation biofuel.