A design was developed for the transesterification reaction of non-edible Jatropha Carats oil using a heterogeneous catalysis system to replace the use of a homogeneous catalytic reaction. Investigations were conducted on solid MgO-ZnO mixed metal oxide catalyst bases with different atomic ratios of magnesium to zinc (Mg/Zn). These catalysts were characterized by BET (Brunauer-Emmer-Teller) surface area analysis, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and the alkalinity of the catalysts was studied by Temperature Programmed Desorption of carbon dioxide (TPD-CO2). The physicochemical properties of the MgO-ZnO binary system were superior to those of the individual bulk oxides of MgO and ZnO. In addition, the formation of a binary system between MgO and ZnO established an effective method for transesterification processes. In this study, the effects of stoichiometric composition and surface characteristics on the transesterification activity of MgO-ZnO were investigated. The catalysts exhibited high catalytic activity (similar to 80%) with reliable reusability for biodiesel production. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.