Process optimization of biodiesel production catalyzed by CaO nanocatalyst using response surface methodology

Abstract

Uses of nanocatalysts have become more useful in optimizing catalytic reactions. They are known to enhance the rate of reaction by offering a greater number of active sites by possessing a high surface-to-volume ratio. In the present work, calcium oxide nanocatalysts were synthesized through the sol-gel method. The particle size of the nanocatalyst prepared ranged up to 8 nm. Soybean oil was used as the raw material for the synthesis of biodiesel. The synthesized nano-CaO was characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller). Average BET surface area analysis of the nanocatalyst was calculated to be 67.781 m 2 /g and pore diameter was 3.302 nm. Nano-CaO catalyst was used to synthesize biodiesel and optimize the reaction variables through optimization processes to achieve a high yield of biodiesel. The reaction variables that were optimized were catalyst amount, oil to methanol molar ratio and reaction temperature. Upon optimization, the conversion of biodiesel was found to be 97.61%. The optimized value of the reaction variables was: catalyst amount of 3.675 wt% with respect to oil, molar ratio (alcohol to oil) of 11:1, and reaction temperature of 60 °C for 2 h. Graphic abstractKeywords Biodiesel · Calcium oxide (CaO) · Nanocatalyst · Response surface methodology

Synthesis and characterization of calcium oxide nanoparticles for CO2 capture

“…Calcium oxide (CaO) is an important inorganic compound. It can be used as a catalyst [1][2][3], pellet for CO 2 capture and kinetic analysis [4,5], toxic-waste remediation agent, or as an additive in refractory and paint industries [6], antimicrobial agent, a drug delivery agent, as well as in various other biomedical applications [7]. Calcium oxide has been regarded as one of the most promising candidates for carbon capture [8][9][10][11][12][13] due to its good kinetics and high capture capacity, low running cost [14], and even under low CO 2 partial pressures.…”

Fabrication and Optimization of Nanocatalyst for Biodiesel Production: An Overview

“…As Bharti and Singh (2019) reported the synthesis of a calcium oxide nanocatalyst via the sol-gel method, and utilized it in the synthesis of biodiesel using soybean oil as feedstock material. The nanocatalyst has proven to be efficient and effective in terms of possessing increased active sites, high surface to volume ratio, with a small particle size of 8 nm in correspondance to nanoscale level/nanometric scale.…”

“…The increasing surface area is mainly due to small particle size, which correspondingly increases the reaction rate. After considering various optimization parameters like catalyst amount, methanol to oil ratio, and reaction temperature, a biodiesel production of 97.61% was obtained (Bharti and Singh, 2019). The CaO nanocatalyst can easily convert a maximum amount of fatty acids and oils, but it is unsuitable for long term use due to leaching and blockage of active sites.…”

Production and Characterization of Biodiesel From Castor Seed Oil Using Cocoa Pod Ash as a Catalyst

“…In the transesterification reaction, the catalyst used may be basic, acidic or enzymatic. Reports of measures to improve and optimize catalysts used in biodiesel production processes to meet the commercial use have been published (11,12). The use of heterogeneous solid catalysts (HSCs) has been proposed as a solution to various disadvantages associated with homogeneous catalysts 7 .…”