A critical comparison of methyl and ethyl esters production from soybean and rice bran oil in the presence of microwaves

► We studied microwave transesterification of lipids with ethanol and methanol. ► Methanol performed better in terms of yields, alcohol consumption, and efficiency. ► Advantages include lower catalyst and alcohol consumption and higher reaction rates. ► The activation energies for ethanol were found to be higher than for methanol. ► The obtained biodiesel met ASTM specifications for use as fuel in diesel engines.