Sono-dispersion of calcium over Al-MCM-41used as a nanocatalyst for biodiesel production from sunflower oil: Influence of ultrasound irradiation and calcium content on catalytic properties and performance

In this study, the basic Ca(X)/Al-MCM-41 nanocatalysts were successfully synthesized for biodiesel production to achieve a high conversion in oil transesterification with methanol. For this purpose, different amounts of calcium (X = 10, 20, 30 wt%) were loaded on support using ultrasound irradiation with constant sonication parameters for all samples. Also, the impregnation method was applied for synthesis of Ca(20%)/Al-MCM-41 nanocatalyst. The conversion of synthesized catalysts exhibited maximum conversion of oil to biodiesel for Ca(30%)/Al-MCM-41 catalyst compared with the other samples. Furthermore, using ultrasound irradiation for synthesis of Ca(20%)/Al-MCM-41 catalyst improved the specific surface area and as well as biodiesel conversion.160