Zinc oxide supported silver nanoparticles as a heterogeneous catalyst for production of biodiesel from palm oil

Abstract

Biodiesel, also called fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), a promising alternative to petroleum diesel, has become more attractive in recent years due to its environmental friendliness coupled with its accessibility from renewable resources. This work investigated the novel zinc oxide supported silver nanoparticles (ZnO@Ag NPs) catalyzed transesterification of palm oil to biodiesel. Novel ZnO@Ag NPs were synthesized via homogeneous precipitation of Zn(OH) 2 and reduction of Ag(I) to Ag (0).During the preparation of nanocatalyst, polyethylene glycol (PEG 4000) played a dual role as both the surfactant and reducing agent. The synthesized NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and BET analysis. Biodiesel formation was confirmed by 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopic analysis. In addition, different constituents of FAME were identified using GC-MS analytical technique. Under the optimum reaction conditions (methanol to oil ratio, 10:1, catalyst loading, 10 wt%, temperature 60 C and time, 60 min), the percentage conversion of triglycerides to corresponding FAME was 97% as determined by 1 H NMR.Catalyst recyclability tests confirmed that ZnO@Ag NPs could be reused at least for five successive cycles without appreciable loss in its activity. K E Y W O R D Sbiodiesel, heterogeneous catalyst, polyethylene glycol, renewable energy, transesterification

Widely used catalysts in biodiesel production: a review

“…In the meantime, the application of zinc oxide-supported silver nanoparticles (ZnO@Ag NPs) as a solid catalyst for the conversion of palm oil to FAME was reported by Laskar et al 128 The transformation of palm oil to FAME was conrmed using NMR analysis and 10 components of FAME were identied using GC-MS technique, with methyl octadecanoate (C18:0) being the major component. A mixture with different ratios of Ag on ZnO were prepared, where 10 wt% ZnO@Ag was found to be the most active catalyst producing 96% FAME under the optimum reaction conditions.…”

pH-Dependent Formation of Oriented Zinc Oxide Nanostructures in the Presence of Tannic Acid

“…In the present study, SC shows a vital role in adjusting the morphology and the size of ZnO samples. The well-known process for the morphological and size changes have been reported in several publications [ 13 , 18 , 19 ]. A similar process is adopted in the present study, but for ZnO particles not Zn ion, to produce the ZnO nanostructures which is affected by the SC.…”

Heterogeneous Nanocatalyst for Biodiesel Synthesis

“…The maximum biodiesel output was 94.8 %. Laskar et al [61] used novel ZnO assisted silver nanoparticles (ZnO@Ag NPs) as a catalyst in his research to transesterify palm oil. The catalyst was synthesized via deposition precipitation method and characterized through XRD, TEM and BET techniques.…”