Highly efficient heteropoly acid decorated SnO2@Co-ZIF nanocatalyst for sustainable biodiesel production from Nannorrhops ritchiana seeds oil

Abstract

In this study, TPA-impregnated SnO2@Co-ZIF catalyst was synthesized to employ for biodiesel production from locally available Mazari palm feedstock. The morphological and structural properties of the synthesized catalyst were studied by different analytical techniques such as Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA/DTA), X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) and Temperature Programmed Desorption of ammonia (NH3–TPD) and carbon dioxide (CO2–TPD) to identify suitable catalyst formulation for efficient biodiesel production from Mazari palm oil.The important variables such as molar ratio of alcohol to oil, reaction temperature, amount of catalyst, reaction time and agitation speed were also investigated to achieve best parameters setup for highest biodiesel yield. The results showed that the highest biodiesel yield of 94.05% was obtained at the 18:1 methanol to oil molar ratio, 100 °C reaction temperature, reaction time of 180 min, 5% catalyst dosage and agitation speed of 500 rpm. Moreover, the catalyst possesses high stability and can be recycled up to 5 consecutive biodiesel reactions without any loss in activity and additional treatment.