Biodiesel production from used palm oil using magnetic solid base catalyst

Abstract

In this research the biodiesel from palm oil were synthesized by using magnetic solid base catalyst. The magnetic solid base catalyst was prepared by using co-precipitation method and followed by modified Stober’s method and wet impregnation method. CaO-ferrite nanometre magnetic solid base catalysts (CaO@Fe3O4/SiO2) were synthesized by loading CaO on the surface of Fe3O4 core-shell using the polymeric binder, TEOS. Under the optimized condition reactions, the catalysts were synthesized by co-precipitation and incipient wetness impregnation followed by calcination at 700 °C for 5 h. The calcined catalyst was fully characterized. The basic strength of the catalysts (H_) was first assessed using Hammett indicators, which are in range 9.8–15.0. The calcined Ca/ferrite-TEOS showed homogenous spherical shape with an apparent thickness of 92 nm. The FT-IR of CaO observed at 520 cm-1 is attributed to the Ca-O vibrations. The EDX analysis confirmed the presence of Fe, Si and Ca on the catalyst. The optimization conditions for biodiesel production have been measured. The catalyst was used 5.0 % wt. The methanol to oil ratio is 5:1, reaction time is 180 minutes and reaction was produced at 80°C. The catalyst achieved a biodiesel conversion of used palm oil (acid value 1.2) above 92 %. The catalytic activity and recovery rate of CaO@Fe3O4/SiO2 are better as compared to CaO catalyst. The properties of synthesized biodiesel have been studied and meet standard the Department of Energy Business.