A novel biobased heterogeneous catalyst derived from Musa acuminata peduncle for biodiesel production - Process optimization using central composite design

The present research work focused towards the utilization of Musa acuminata Colla 'Red' banana peduncle for the development of a novel, low-cost, green, and highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the conversion of Ceiba pentandra oil (CPO) into C. pentandra methyl esters (CPME). The calcined red banana peduncle (CRBP) was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and techniques. BET analysis revealed that the catalyst surface area was 45.99 m(2) g(-1) with pore diameter of 9.77 nm. EDS analysis on CRBP showed the presence of various minerals and potassium was found to be the major active ingredient responsible for high catalytic activity. The biodiesel production process parameters such as CRBP concentration (1.5-3.5 wt%), methanol to esterified CPO (E-CPO) molar ratio (6:1-14:1), and transesterification time (40-120 min) was optimized using central composite design (CCD) based response surface methodology (RSM). Among the three parameters studied, CRBP concentration was found to be the most significant parameter in maximizing the CPME conversion since it exhibited huge multi-minerals and high surface area. A maximum experimental CPME conversion of 98.73 +/- 0.50% was achieved at the process conditions of 2.68 wt% CRBP concentration, 11.46 methanol to E-CPO molar ratio, and 106 min transesterification time while the temperature and stirrer speed was maintained at 65 degrees C and 450 rpm respectively. Also, the properties of synthesized CPME were evaluated and the studies on catalyst reusability were also performed.