Synthesis of aluminum chloride hexahydrate/polyvynil alcohol catalyst for biodiesel production

• Main Authors: Ismail, Nur Ishami Faqihah, Sulaiman, Sarina, Othman, Maizatulnisa, Kabbashi, Nassereldeen Ahmed, Sulaiman, Siti Zubaidah
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English; English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology; TP155 Chemical engineering
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/86340/1/ICoST2020_094_slides.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/86340/13/86340%20program%20schedule%20and%20abstract.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/86340/

The replacement of traditional diesel fuels with an alternative energy source like biodiesel is an excellent choice to lessen the depletion of non-renewable energy source such as fossil fuels. For application of low-cost heterogeneous catalyst for generation of biodiesel, most of waste-based catalysts are derived from inexpensive CaO resources. In this research, heterogeneous catalyst aluminum chloride hexahydrate (AlCl36H2O)/PVA was synthesized from aluminum foil wastes supported by PVA. Transesterification was used to produce biodiesel from waste cooking oil (WCO). The effect of aluminum chloride hexahydrate (AlCl36H2O)/PVA catalyst towards the yield percentage of FAME was investigated using three different operating conditions. Parameters optimized in transesterification included methanol to oil ratio (6:1, 12:1 and 18:1), reaction temperature (55℃, 60℃, and 65℃), and amount of catalyst (2wt%, 5wt%, and 8wt%). The findings showed that the catalyst loading of 2 wt%, methanol to oil molar ratio of 6:1, and temperature of 55℃ yielded the highest biodiesel yield from WCO. This study proves that heterogeneous catalyst aluminum chloride hexahydrate (AlCl36H2O)/PVA can replace homogeneous catalysts and to simplify the manufacturing of biodiesel, especially in the separation phase.