Production of biodiesel from soybean oil catalyzed by attapulgite loaded with C4H5O6KNa catalyst

Biodiesel is a green, safe, renewable alternative fuel, which is of great significance to solving the problem of energy shortage and environmental pollution. A series of solid base catalysts were prepared with the support of attapulgite (ATP), the load of C4H5O6KNa by impregnation method, and were used to catalyze transesterification of soybean oil with methanol to biodiesel. The activities of prepared catalysts were investigated compared to pure ATP. The optimal conditions for the catalyst preparation were investigated: molar ratio of Na : ATP was 1.7: 1 and calcination temperature was 400 degrees C. The prepared catalysts were characterized by several techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N-2 adsorption-desorption measurements, X-ray diffraction and the Hammett indicator method. The prepared solid base catalyst can be separated from reaction system effectively and easily. The effects of the molar ratio of methanol to oil, reaction temperature and amount of catalyst on the biodiesel yield were investigated. The experimental results showed that a 22: 1 molar ratio of methanol to oil, 10.0% of catalyst amount, 65 degrees C of reaction temperature and 3.0 h of reaction time gave the best results. The catalyst has longer lifetime and maintained sustained activity after being used for five cycles.