This study examined the effect of a heterogeneous base catalyst on the transesterification of soybean oil assisted by microwave irradiation. The results showed that nanopowder calcium oxide (nano CaO) was very efficient in converting soybean oil to biodiesel, and microwave irradiation is more efficient than the conventional bath for biodiesel production. However, the water content of methanol can not improve the conversion rate catalyzed by nano CaO. The suitable reaction conditions that can reach a 96.6% of conversion rate were methanol/oil molar ratio, 7:1; amount of catalyst used, 3.0 wt.%; reaction temperature, 338 K; and reaction time, 60 min. The biodiesel produced is within the limits prescribed by the standard of EN-14214. (c) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.