Synthesis of fatty acid methyl ester from crude jatropha (Jatropha curcas Linnaeus) oil using aluminium oxide modified Mg-Zn heterogeneous catalyst

▸ Al2O3 modified Mg-Zn catalyst was used to synthesize FAME in a single-step from crude Jatropha oil. ▸ The catalyst showed good activity towards the crude oil. ▸ The FAME met the minimum requirements specified by ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 for biodiesel standards. ▸ Simple purification step was employed to obtain high yield of FAME. ▸ The modified catalyst is cheap, separates easily from product mixture and its reusable.