417 | Page Green Synthesis of Biodiesel from Palm oil and Sunflower oil S. Alwin David* 1 , Dr. P. Subramanian 2 1 Assistant Professor, PG and Research Department of Chemistry, V. O. Chidambaram College, Tuticorin - 628 008, affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Abishekapatti, Tirunelveli - 627 012, Tamilnadu, India. 2 Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Planning and Administration Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University, Chennai - 97 Abstract Many researchers have been searching for an alternative and efficient fuel in recent years due to the depletion of global crude oil reserves and the worsening of climate conditions associated with the use of fossil fuels. Biodiesel is one of the most promising alternative fuels, and it has gotten a lot of attention around the world. This is due to its numerous advantages over the traditional petro diesel. It is renewable, biodegradable, and non-toxic, with a high flash point and a low carbon footprint. Transesterification of palm oil and sunflower oil resulted in the production of biodiesel. Oil was mixed with methanol and potassium hydroxide (KOH) as a catalyst during the preparation process. Using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the functional groups of biodiesel were explored. The mechanism of biodiesel synthesis was described. Keywords: Biodiesel, alternative fuel, Transesterification, palm oil, sunflower oil 1. Introduction Due to the massive growing awareness of the harmful effects of conventional fuels on the environment, as well as the continuous rise in price of crude oil, the need for a sustainable and eco - friendly alternative source of energy has grown rapidly in recent years. Because of its exceptional features, such as significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, non- particulate matter pollutants, non-sulphur emission levels, biodegradability and low toxicity, biodiesel has proven to be the best substitute for diesel. Biodiesel is a blend of fatty acid methyl esters (long chain carboxylic acids). It has properties similar to diesel fuel made from crude oil, which is used to power numerous vehicles. It is simple to make from vegetable cooking oil, which contains fatty acid compounds [1, 2]. The current study concentrated on the simple and environmentally friendly synthesis of biodiesel using sunflower oil and palm oil. Sunflower oil is derived by crushing the seeds of the Helianthus annuus plant. It's frequently promoted as healthy oil because it contains unsaturated fats that may be beneficial to heart health.