A green catalyst for biodiesel production from jatropha oil: Optimization study

In this study, a simple and solvent-free method was used to prepare sulfated zirconia-alumina (SZA) catalyst. Its catalytic activity was subsequently investigated for the transesterification of Jatropha curcas L. oil to fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). The effects of catalyst preparation parameters on the yield of FAME were investigated using Design of Experiment (DOE). Results revealed that calcination temperature has a quadratic effect while calcination duration has a linear effect on the yield of FAME. Apart from that, interaction between both variables was also found to significantly affect the yield of FAME. At optimum condition; calcination temperature and calcination duration at 490 °C and 4 h, respectively, an optimum FAME yield of 78.2 wt% was obtained. Characterization with XRD, IR and BET were then used to verify the characteristic of SZA catalyst with those prepared using well established method and also to describe the catalyst characteristic with its activity.

► Study the transesterification of non-edible Jatropha curcas L. oil to fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), and reveal the true potential of this process for commercialization.
► Use the design of experiment (DOE) to search the optimal conditions of biodiesel (i.e. FAME) synthesis, and obtain high FAME yield.
► Prepare and characterize the low-cost sulfated zirconia-alumina (SZA) catalyst.