Transesterification of Vegetable oil to Biodiesel Over Mgo-Li2O Catalysts Templated by a PDMS-PEO Comb-like Copolymer

In this study, the preparation of MgO-Li2O catalyst for biodiesel synthesis using PDMS–PEO as a structure-directing agent has been investigated. Compared to the catalysts reported so far, LM0.12-873 (Li/Mg molar ratio=0.12, calcination temperature is 873K) exhibited an excellent performance and showed great potential in industrial application. The synergistic effect of macro- and mesopores on the templated catalysts functioned efficiently as a catalyst for transesterification. The basic strength of MgO-Li2O catalysts was enhanced due to the lattice distortion and defects created by the substitution of the Li ions in MgO lattice. The catalytic activities of MgO-Li2O depend on the amount of strong base sites with the most active catalyst of LM0.12-873 exhibiting the largest amount strong base sites.