Overview of microwave-assisted transesterification technology for biodiesel production with bibliometric indicators

Abstract

The demand for novel, environmentally sustainable biodiesel intensification technologies is growing. Microwave-assisted transesterification technology is one potential solution to this gap. This study evaluates the research productivity of microwave-assisted transesterification technology for biodiesel production using various bibliometric indicators. Using relevant keywords search, data were extracted from the Scopus database. Visualization of similarities viewer (VOSviewer) software v1.6.18 was then used for network visualisation and various bibliometric analysis. The study shows that microwave-assisted transesterification technology is still in its early stages when compared to other biodiesel production technologies. Despite the fact that its potential was first highlighted in 2004, the first study on its application was published in 2007. However, it was not until 2010 that several researchers became interested in this technology. The most productive countries in publications, existing collaborations and cooperation, top institutions in publications, and top journals have been identified and presented. Finally, keyword co-occurrence analysis of the subject, as well as the most prolific researchers and the highest referenced publications in the field, were presented and discussed. Researchers are likely to benefit from the study's bibliometric indicators in finding prospective research topics, high-quality scientific literature, and relevant journals for disseminating research related to microwave-assisted transesterification technology for biodiesel production.

Keywords:

• Bibliometric indicators
• microwave-assisted transesterification
• biodiesel
• microwave irradiation
• process intensification

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.