Optimization of biomass durian peel as a heterogeneous catalyst in biodiesel production using microwave irradiation

Abstract

Abstract The present study investigated biodiesel production from the transesterification of palm oil with methanol using calcined biomass durian peel (BDP) as a heterogeneous catalyst assisted by microwave irradiation. Characterization of the calcined BDP showed that K2O is the main compound with a concentration of 86.15 wt%. The effect of three independent variables of catalyst weight (3–12 wt%), reaction time (1–10 min), and power of microwave (180–900 W) was used to determine the optimum condition on biodiesel production using the response surface method-based on the Box–Behnken design experiment. The optimum biodiesel conversion of 97.3% was achieved under experimental parameters of catalyst concentration of 12 wt%, reaction time of 9 min, and microwave power of 180 W. The catalyst concentration and reaction time have significant effects on biodiesel conversion.