A green process synthesis of bio-composite heterogeneous catalyst for the transesterification of linseed-marula bi-oil methyl ester
Anietie Okon Etim, Paul Musonge, Andrew C. Eloka‐Eboka
Abstract
Waste biomass materials contribute immensely in the environmentally friendly and cost-effective clean energy production. In this study, a bio-composite catalyst was developed from waste biogenic materials (waste chicken eggshells and banana peels) and was used in the transesterification of linseed–marula bi-oil methyl ester. The synthesized bio-composite catalyst was characterized to determine its properties. The catalytic potential of the bio-composite catalyst was tested in the transesterification of linseed-marula bi-oil for effectiveness. Transesterification process was optimized using Taguchi design (TD) of the response surface methodology (RSM), which was used to generate 9 experimental conditions for the investigation of the effect of methanol to oil molar ratio, catalyst loading, reaction time and temperature. Result of the characterization shows that Ca and K are the dominant elements present in the synthesized bio-composite catalyst. Optimum experimental condition for the transesterification of the bi-oil was established at methanol-to-oil ratio of 15:1, catalyst amount of 3.5 wt%, reaction time of 60 min and reaction temperature of 65 °C with 95.03% of biodiesel yield. The quality of the biodiesel produced was within the ASTM D6751, EN 14,214 and SANS 833 standards. This study shows that the combined effect of biogenic waste materials and linseed-marula bi-oil is a potential factor in an effective and sustainable feedstock source(es) for biodiesel production.