Transesterification of Castor Oil to Biodiesel Using Koh/Nay as Solid Base Catalyst

A solid base catalyst KOH/NaY was prepared by supporting KOH on NaY and the transesterification of castor oil to biodiesel catalyzed by the KOH/NaY was studied. The effects of molar ratio of methanol to castor oil, catalyst dosage (catalyst mass/oil mass), loading amount of KOH, reaction temperature, and reaction time on the conversion rate of transesterification were investigated. Under the optimal conditions of reaction temperature 65 degrees C, molar ratio of methanol to oil 9:1, mass fraction of catalyst 10%, loading amount of KOH 10%, and reaction time 3 h, the conversion rate of transesterification was 86.9%. And KOH/NaY catalyst could be reused at least for three cycles with a significant conversion.