Abstract
The alarming rate of depletion in diesel resources, has led us in developing an energy efficient route for the synthesis of biodiesel that not only utilizes a substantially lower amount of energy but is also economical. Herein, a mesoporous MCM-48 based photo-catalyst impregnated with titania, was synthesized employing a one pot synthesis method to produce methyl palmitate which is known to be a major component of biodiesel.The reaction was carried out at room temperature, with 3% (w/v) of catalyst loading and 1:20 acid to alcohol molar ratio leading to a conversion of 95.9% in 4.5 h. The catalysts were analysed through FESEM-EDS, Mapping, BET, XRD, FTIR, TGA and UV-DRS with 0.5TMS5 demonstrating a high surface area of 219 m2/g along with 0.985 mmol/g of active acid sites. Furthermore, a detailed kinetic study of the reaction proved that it was kinetically controlled with an activation energy of 25.1 kJ/mol and also formed a basis for configuring a feasible reaction mechanism. The catalyst was also checked for its reusability showing its effectiveness up to 3 reaction cycles when used without activation and up to 10 cycles after activation. Hence, the catalyst manifested to be highly capable in achieving high conversions at minimal energy exhaustion.
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