Enhanced conversion of non-edible Jatropha oil to biodiesel utilizing highly reusable Mg decorated CoFe2O4 nanocatalyst: Optimization by RSM

Abstract

This paper aims to develop a novel and efficient magnetic nanocatalyst for producing biodiesel from Jatropha oil. Therefore, Mg@CoFe2O4 nanocomposite as a retrievable, and strong catalyst was synthesized and employed for transesterification of Jatropha oil. After that, various analyzes were employed for characterizing Mg@CoFe2O4 nanocomposite, including XRD, Raman, FTIR, FESEM, EDX, CO2/TPD, BET, VSM, and TEM. These analyzes confirmed that Mg was successfully decorated on CoFe2O4. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize efficient variables on biodiesel generation. The utmost biodiesel efficiency utilizing CoFe2O4 and Mg@CoFe2O4 nanocatalysts were 93.99 % and 95.49 %, respectively, which are obtained at ultrasonication time of 32.21 and 33.96 min, respectively. These biodiesel yields indicate the extraordinary efficiency of both nanocatalysts. Also, Mg@CoFe2O4 indicated a high biodiesel yield (i.e., 87.43 %) after seven reuse steps, indicating the remarkable reusability of this nanocatalyst. The thermodynamics and kinetics of transesterification showed that the biodiesel generation reaction is endothermic and the reaction speed enhanced with enhancing temperature. Moreover, decoration of CoFe2O4 with Mg led to improved catalytic performance and boosted biodiesel yield. Overall, the Mg@CoFe2O4 nanocatalyst is strongly recommended for future investigation owing to its excellent biodiesel performance, short reaction time, and extraordinary reusability of the catalyst.