Alahmar Nashwa Mohammed, Azelee Nur Izyan Binti Wan, Toemen Susilawati
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310, Skudai, Johor Bharu, Malaysia.
Department of Physical Science, Collage of Science, Jazan University, P.O.Box 114, Jazan, 45142, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 2;15(1):352. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-82845-2.
As the demand for sustainable energy sources intensifies, biodiesel emerges as a compelling renewable alternative to petroleum-based fuels. Leveraging waste cooking oil (WCO) as a feedstock not only offers an environmentally friendly fuel source but also addresses waste disposal issues. However, biodiesel production from WCO faces challenges, particularly due to its high free fatty acid (FFA) content, which can hinder efficient conversion and lead to soap formation in traditional alkaline-catalysed processes. This study seeks to overcome these challenges by developing and optimizing a bifunctional Ce/Mn(10:90)/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst via the incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) method. The catalyst's dual acidic and basic active sites enable simultaneous esterification and transesterification, enhancing biodiesel production efficiency from high-FFA feedstocks. Various parameters were optimized, including calcination temperatures, catalyst loadings, and reaction conditions such as methanol-to-oil ratio, catalyst loading, reaction temperature, and time for the transesterification process. The Ce/Mn(10:90)/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst, calcined at 800 °C, achieved a maximum triglyceride (TG) conversion of 97% under optimal conditions. These conditions were determined to be 10 wt% catalyst loading, a 1:24 methanol-to-oil ratio, a reaction temperature of 65 °C, and a reaction time of 3 h. The catalyst's high efficiency is attributed to its high basicity (1.543 mmol/g), large surface area (143 m/g), and small particle size (22 nm), which collectively enhance its catalytic performance. This bifunctional catalyst design thus offers a robust solution for the efficient conversion of high-FFA WCO into biodiesel, maximizing performance and sustainability.
随着对可持续能源的需求日益增长，生物柴油成为一种极具吸引力的可再生替代石油基燃料。利用废食用油（WCO）作为原料不仅提供了一种环境友好的燃料来源，还解决了废物处理问题。然而，从WCO生产生物柴油面临挑战，特别是由于其高游离脂肪酸（FFA）含量，这可能会阻碍传统碱性催化过程中的有效转化并导致皂化反应。本研究旨在通过初湿浸渍（IWI）法开发和优化双功能Ce/Mn(10:90)/γ-Al₂O₃催化剂来克服这些挑战。该催化剂的双重酸性和碱性活性位点能够同时进行酯化和酯交换反应，提高了从高FFA原料生产生物柴油的效率。对各种参数进行了优化，包括煅烧温度、催化剂负载量以及酯交换过程中的甲醇与油的比例、催化剂负载量、反应温度和时间等反应条件。在800°C煅烧的Ce/Mn(10:90)/γ-Al₂O₃催化剂在最佳条件下实现了97%的最大甘油三酯（TG）转化率。这些条件确定为催化剂负载量10 wt%、甲醇与油的比例为1:24、反应温度为65°C以及反应时间为3小时。该催化剂的高效率归因于其高碱度（1.543 mmol/g）、大表面积（143 m/g）和小粒径（22 nm），这些共同提高了其催化性能。因此，这种双功能催化剂设计为将高FFA的WCO高效转化为生物柴油提供了一种强大的解决方案，最大限度地提高了性能和可持续性。
