Synthesis of CaO@CoFe2O4 nanoparticles and its utilization for production of biodiesel from used cooking oil
Thutug Rahardiant Primadi, Fauziatul Fajaroh a), Aman Santoso
Universitas Negeri Malang
Abstract
Until now, used cooking oil (jelantah) has not been utilized optimally. This study seeks to convert this waste into biodiesel. Used cooking oil usually contains high concentration of free fatty acids which can be converted into methyl esters through transesterification by methanol. This effort is in line with the increasing need for renewable energy sources. Because of the waste still contains high concentrations of free fatty acids, then it is necessary to think about the proper process and utilization of superior catalysts for transesterification. One of the allegedly superior catalysts is ferrit-based nanocomposite catalyst, namely CaO@CoFe2O4. This hypothesis is based on the properties of ferrite which are thermally and chemically stable and can be drawn by magnetic fields. The particles on the nanometre scale are thought to show high reactivity as a catalyst. The composite with strong base oxide CaO which is not soluble in methanol is also a supporting factor.The purpose of this study was to synthesize and to characterize CaO@CoFe2O4, then to study its potential as a catalyst in biodiesel production from used cooking oil in various weight percent of catalyst. The main steps include: (1) synthesis of CoFe2O4by coprecipitation; (2) Impregnation of CaO into CoFe2O4 and converted to CaO@CoFe2O4; (3) Characterization of the synthesized material was carried out by XRD, BET, and SEM/EDX; (4) application of CaO@CoFe2O4 to biodiesel production from used cooking oil; (5) characterization of biodiesel produced. Based on the results of XRD and SEM/EDX analysis, the CaO@CoFe2O4 catalyst has been successfully synthesized. At optimum condition, the addition of 4% catalyst in trans-esterification reaction of used cooking oil produced 95.27% of methyl esters. This means, CaO@CoFe2O4 is a catalyst that can be seeded in biodiesel production.
Keywords: Renewable energy, biodiesel, CaO@CoFe2O4, catalyst
Topic: Biomass, Biofuel