This study examines the production of biodiesel from vegetable palm oil (VPO) via transesterification catalyzed by calcium oxide modified with titanium dioxide (CaO-TiO2) under UV light. Response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite design (CCD) was used to optimize the biodiesel yield. The optimized conditions for transesterification were 2.52 wt.% for catalyst dosage, 3:4 for volumetric ratio of VPO to methanol, 65 degrees C for reaction temperature, and 145.51 min for reaction time. VPO transesterification under optimum conditions produced 96.67% biodiesel yield. In addition, regeneration of CaO-TiO2 catalyst was studied under optimum conditions. This catalyst can be reused for four times with biodiesel yields beyond 80%. GC-MS analysis revealed the main methyl ester components in the biodiesel product including 9-octadecenoic acid, methyl ester (E)-(oleic acid) and hexadecanoic acid methyl ester (palmitic acid). Kinetic viscosity and higher heating value of the biodiesel were found to be in agreement with the ASTM D 6751 standard. This study demonstrated a practical method to produce biodiesel from VPO with less corrosion, less toxicity, and less environmental problems using an effective, stable and economic heterogeneous basic catalyst, CaO-TiO2. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.