Synthesis of mesoporous MgO catalyst templated by a PDMS-PEO comb-like copolymer for biodiesel production

Mesoporous MgO catalyst was synthesized from Mg(NO3)2 via a sol-gel process by templating an amphiphilic comb-like copolymer, poly(dimethylsiloxane-ethylene oxide) (PDMS-PEO). PDMS-PEO templated MgO (t-MgO) converted canola oil to biodiesel more efficiently (~ 98.2% methyl ester content) than non-templated MgO (nt-MgO, 82.8%) due to larger surface area and basic site density.