Biodiesel, In a Quest For Sustainable Renewable Energy: A Review on Its Potentials and Production Strategies

The spike in the spontaneous discharge of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere and oil spills on land are placing the environment and natural systems under threat. These two contemporary challenges are heightened by the excessive exploitation of fossil fuels, coiled with rising energy demand pooled by population growth, and industrialization. Therefore, the quest for clean, low-cost, and sustainable energy is environmentally and economically driven. Energy from biomass especially biodiesel is poised to take a lead as an alternative to conventional diesel due to its renewability, non-toxicity, and less potent to GHG emissions. Hence, this paper put together the merits and demerits of the various renewable sources of energy, alongside the biodiesel production processes and output of some countries for the year 2020, which fell short of reporting. The first segment of this paper highlights the potential of biodiesel and its advantages over other renewable energies. The production output and various parametric effects were subsequently discussed for optimum biodiesel production. Then, the economic feasibilities and environmental benefits of biodiesel were emphasized among other attractive attributes of the fuel and enumerate gaps for future exploration.