BIODIESEL FROM MICROALGAE USING SYNTHESIZED NOVEL ALKALI CATALYST
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abstract
2017, ALKI Kft. The aim of the study is to be able to create a solid catalyst that would be sourced from cheap materials, inexpensive to produce, and can comparatively produce high FAME yields in transesterification reactions involving microalgae as lipid source. The impregnation method was used to synthesize the catalysts Li-pumice, K-pumice, and Na-pumice. The synthesis parameters were varied at different solution concentrations to determine which created the best performing catalyst in the transesterification process. Catalyst characterization was evaluated using Hammett indicators, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), and Infrared Spectroscopy (IR). The catalyst was easily separated by filtration and further investigation proved that it can be reused multiple times in transesterification processes. The best performing catalyst was observed to be K-pumice and the optimum concentration of the contact solution in the synthesis was 1.0 N. The transesterification reaction was able to generate an optimum of 77% Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) yield when process parameters were: reaction temperature = 60 C; methanol to oil ratio = 18:1; catalyst load = 10%; and reaction time = 2 hours. The results were able to prove that effective catalyst for biodiesel production can be sourced from cheap materials such as pumice and that the preparation of such can be done in a fast and cost effective manner. It is encouraged that more cheap materials should be investigated for catalyst synthesis that would become ideal for biodiesel production.
