Production and characterization of biodiesel from Cascabela thevetia oil using synthesized hierarchically kaolin-based zeolite A catalysts

Abstract

Ever-increasing energy demands and environmental issues related to the depletion of fossil fuels have motivated a search for renewable energy sources. Biodiesel has emerged as an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels. The homogeneous catalyst used in the transesterification reaction for biodiesel production has the disadvantages of separating the catalyst from the products, creating environmental hazards and involving difficulties in product separation. A zeolite heterogeneous catalyst is easily separated for reuse, and by-product can be recovered. However, the micropore nature of this zeolite is constrained, causing diffusion limitation for the adsorption of triglycerides at the catalyst’s active site, thereby reducing the reaction rate and causing poisoning of the catalyst. Hierarchical zeolite has been identified as a catalyst that can overcome the limitations of microporous zeolites in the catalytic reaction. It features enlarged pores, greater stability, and improved surface area that speed up transesterification. This research focuses on developing hierarchical zeolite A from Aloji kaolin as a catalyst for biodiesel production from Cascabela thevetia seed oil (CTO), which has not previously been reported. The developed hierarchical zeolite A was applied as the catalyst in biodiesel production using response-surface methodology as an optimization tool, and a biodiesel yield of 95.01% was achieved.