One alternative energy strategy involves recycling used cooking oil (UCO) to create biodiesel, a liquid fuel that can be used in various applications. There are several advantages, including financial, environmental, and waste management, to making biodiesel from UCO and methanol using a calcium oxide (CaO) nanocatalyst. In this research, CaO nanoparticles are synthesized using the sol-gel process and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques to improve this generation of biodiesel from UCO. At the laboratory scale, the methyl ester production reaction parameters were optimized. At 50 °C, a 1:8 UCO oil-to-methanol ratio, a 1% by-weight catalyst loading rate, and a 90-min reaction duration, the highest biodiesel yield. The characteristics of biodiesel characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis were also evaluated per the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM D6571). The biodiesel cost estimation was calculated in Indian Rupees (INR) and United States Dollars (USD). The final cost estimation was 45.23 INR, equivalent to 0.55 USD per liter; it was an economical process with high product value.

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