Screening of solid base catalysts on palm oil based biolubricant synthesis

Abstract

The activity of solid base catalysts with selected dopants on the synthesis of trimethylolpropane triesters (TMPTE) biolubricant from palm oil methyl esters (POME) was performed in this study. The morphological and structural studies of synthesized catalysts were carried out using field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature programmed desorption (TPD-CO2), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive analysis by X-ray (EDX) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and gas chromatography (GC). The effects of temperature, time and the catalyst amount on the catalytic performance of different solid base catalyst with selected dopants were appraised. Under the optimized reaction conditions of 1 %w/w mixed oxides of Ca and Sr catalyst with 5 %w/w SrO on CaO, at 180 °C, 2 mbar vacuum pressure and 240 min of reaction time, TMPTE was successfully synthesized with 88% of yields. The type of metal oxide and mixed metal oxides demonstrated a significant effect on the physical property of the catalyst and its catalytic activity.