Abstract
The present work investigated the biodiesel production from used cooking oil catalyzed by nano-bifunctional supermagnetic heterogeneous catalysts (RHC/K2O/Fe) derived from rice husk doped with K2O and Fe synthesized by the wet impregnation method. The synthesized catalysts (RHC/K2O/Fe) were characterized for crystallinity by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), total acidity and basicity using CO2/NH3-TPD, textural properties through Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), thermal stability via thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), functional group determination by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), surface morphology through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and magnetic properties by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The VSM result demonstrated that the super-paramagnetic catalyst (RHC/K2O-20%/Fe-5%) could be simply separated and regained after the reaction using an external magnetic field. The operating conditions such as catalyst loading, methanol/oil molar ratio, temperature, and reaction duration were studied. The screened RHC/K2O-20%/Fe-5% catalyst was selected for further optimization and the optimum reaction parameters found were 4 wt % of catalyst, a molar ratio of methanol/oil of 12:1, 4 h reaction duration, and 75 °C reaction temperature with a maximal yield of 98.6%. The reusability study and reactivation results revealed that the nano-bifunctional magnetic catalyst (RHC/K2O-20%/Fe-5%) could be preserved by high catalytic activity even after being reused five times.
Highlights
An increasing supply of petrochemical resources to fulfill the high energy demands for industrialization and metropolitan growth over the last decades has caused the depletion of non-renewable conventional fuels [1,2]
The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of rice husk char (RHC) and supermagnetic nano-bifunctional catalysts are depicted in Figure 1 and the diffraction peaks were identified using the standard ICSD
A broad diffraction peak within 5.0◦ to 35.0◦ of RHC was attributed to amorphous carbon
Summary
An increasing supply of petrochemical resources to fulfill the high energy demands for industrialization and metropolitan growth over the last decades has caused the depletion of non-renewable conventional fuels [1,2]. The fluctuation of global petroleum prices and the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) have initiated the search for alternative fuels from renewable resources [4]. Biodiesel is a suitable source of energy which is sustainable, ecologically safe, and non-toxic as an alternative to replace fossil-based fuels [5]. The triglycerides of used cooking oil can chemically convert into biodiesel through transesterification with alcohols (methanol and ethanol) in the presence of homogeneous or heterogeneous catalysts Recently, used cooking oil (UCO) has recognized as an option towards cheap and discarded feedstock for the production of biodiesel to replace the high-priced vegetable and food oils raw materials, such as soybean oil, palm oil, canola oil, and sunflower oil [6]. The used cooking oil (UCO) is considered as one of the waste oils, and its vast quantity is available all over the world, which is generated locally from restaurants and food manufactures
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
