Palm Biochar-Based Sulphated Zirconium (Zr-AC-HSO3) Catalyst for Methyl Ester Production from Palm Fatty Acid Distillate

A palm waste kernel shell biomass was converted into bio-based sulphonated activated carbon and further used for preparation of a sulphated zirconium-doped activated catalyst (Zr-AC-HSO3) by wet impregnation method. The structural, physicochemical, morphological, textural, and thermal characteristic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Catalysts 2019-12, Vol.9 (12), p.1029
Main Authors: Rashid, Umer, Soltani, Soroush, Yaw Choong, Thomas Shean, Nehdi, Imededdine Arbi, Ahmad, Junaid, Ngamcharussrivichai, Chawalit
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activated carbon
Adsorption
Ammonia
Biodiesel fuels
Catalysts
Catalytic activity
Chemical reactions
Chemical synthesis
Conversion
Distillates
Esterification
Fatty acids
Fourier transforms
Infrared analysis
Infrared spectroscopy
Raw materials
Vegetable oils
Waste materials
Zirconium
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Summary:A palm waste kernel shell biomass was converted into bio-based sulphonated activated carbon and further used for preparation of a sulphated zirconium-doped activated catalyst (Zr-AC-HSO3) by wet impregnation method. The structural, physicochemical, morphological, textural, and thermal characteristics of the synthesized Zr-AC-HSO3 catalyst were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (TPD-NH3), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The catalytic activity of the 20 wt% Zr-AC-HSO3 catalyst was further evaluated for esterification of palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD). This study achieved a maximum fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield of 94.3% and free fatty acid (FFA) conversion of 96.1% via the esterification over 20 wt% Zr-AC-HSO3 using 3 wt% catalyst concentration, 15:1 methanol:PFAD molar ratio at 75 °C for 3 h. The experiments to test for reusability showed that the spent catalyst was stable for five successive reaction cycles, with a FFA conversion of 80% in the fifth cycle, without additional treatment. The critical fuel features of the synthesized PFAD methyl ester were determined and were within the range of EN14214 and ASTM D6751 standards.
ISSN:2073-4344
2073-4344
DOI:10.3390/catal9121029