Process sustainability of biodiesel production process from green seed canola oil using homogeneous and heterogeneous acid catalysts

•Heterogeneous process is economically profitable as compared to homogeneous process.•Heterogeneous process is a safer and environment friendly process.•Heterogeneous process is an energy efficient process as compared to homogeneous process.

In this study, the sustainability of homogeneous and heterogeneous acid catalyzed biodiesel production process from green seed canola (GSC) is evaluated. The term “sustainability” is assessed based on four criteria, e.g. process economics, process safety, environmental impact and process energy efficiency. Based on the assessment, it is concluded that both the processes are economically profitable, when the cost of the feedstock is $ 0.35/kg. Heterogeneous acid catalyzed process shows higher profitability. Comparatively, heterogeneous acid catalyzed process is a safer process and creates less environmental impact. Additionally, heterogeneous acid catalyzed process is more energy efficient and more environment friendly than homogeneous process.