Novel iron sand-derived α-Fe2O3/CaO2 bifunctional catalyst for waste cooking oil-based biodiesel production

Abstract

The main aim of this work was to develop a heterogeneous Fe 2 O 3 /CaO 2 bifunctional catalyst prepared from iron sand and 3 different CaO 2 sources (CaCO 3 , Ca (OH) 2 , and limestone) using wet impregnation and calcination methods for biodiesel production. The effects of different CaO 2 sources and Fe/Ca ratio in the catalyst were investigated to provide insight into the catalyst character and biodiesel yield. X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy analyses were used to characterize the catalyst. CaCO 3 was concluded as the best CaO 2 source, while the best Fe/Ca configuration was found to be 1:4, giving the highest biodiesel yield (97.0401%) with no diglycerides. Greater addition of Fe loading would result in an amorphous structure, and all catalysts were relatively crystalline. Fe was concluded to favor the esterification reaction and biodiesel formation, while CaO 2 was seen to favor the transesterification reaction and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) formation. The catalyst mechanism was also established in this study, where esterification of free fatty acid (FFA) and glycerol took place on the acid site to produce diglyceride and transesterification of triglyceride by methanol occurred on the basic site.

Advances in Metal Oxide‐based Nanocatalysts for Biodiesel Production: A Review

“…In the industrial, transportation, agricultural, and other industries, fossil fuels have played a significant role [1]. Fast depletion, excessive consumption, environmental concerns, and price fluctuations required a replacement of fossil fuels; biodiesel and bioethanol, for instance, are potential liquid biofuels that can fulfil energy demands in transportation, manufacturing, and other fields [2,3]. Biodiesel is a liquid fuel composed of esters of fatty acids with a long chain.…”

Application of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to Study Transesterification of Palm Oil in the Presence of Zeolite-A as Catalyst

“…However, since glycerides are the prominent components of vegetable oil, transesterification is the main issue in biodiesel production. Several examples of vegetable oils that have been reported in the literature are waste cooking oil [1][2], coconut oil [3], Ricinus communis oil [4], rubber seed oil [5] [6], and soybean oil [7]. Concerning this reaction, biodiesel is also known as a mixture of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs).…”