Alumina supported zinc oxide catalyst for production of biodiesel from kesambi oil and optimization to achieve highest yields of biodiesel

Biodiesel is one of the promising alternative energy substitutes for fossil fuel. In this work kesambi (Schleichera Oleosa L.) oil (SOO) is converted into biodiesel with clean technology using alumina supported zinc oxide solid catalysts. The alumina supported zinc oxide (AZO) catalyst was prepared by the precipitation and gel method and calcined at a temperature of 500 °C. The synthesized catalyst was characterized by Breneuer-Emmet-Teller (BET) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) methods. The surface area, total pore volume and mean pore diameter of the catalyst powder obtained were 71.561 m² g⁻¹, 0.137 cm³ g⁻¹, and 8.149 nm, respectively. The effects of catalyst amount, the molar ratio of oil to methanol and time of reaction on the yield of biodiesel were investigated. The results showed that those three variables significantly influenced the yield of biodiesel. The highest biodiesel yield of 92.29% was obtained at a catalyst loading of 4% (wt% to oil), a molar ratio of oil to methanol of 1:12, a reaction time of 6 h and a reaction temperature of 65 °C.