Improved yield of palm oil biodiesel through nano catalytic transesterification

Biodiesel was found to be a perfect alternative for fossil fuels. Among various methods, transesterification was found to be an effective method in biodiesel production. The yield of biodiesel plays a major role in improving its market value. In the present study, palm oil biodiesel yield was increased by employing Nanoparticles such as Titanium dioxide and Iron oxide. Titanium dioxide and Iron oxide Nanoparticles have been synthesized by means of the Sol-Gel method and Gel combustion method respectively. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by means of various techniques such as XRD, FESEM, and AFM analysis. The increased biodiesel yield % was found to be 91.06 for TiO2 and 84.24 for Fe2O3 when compared to 82.14 for KOH. The percentage of biodiesel yield obtained was found to be comparable with previous studies. The biodiesel synthesized was characterized through Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy technique. Among the Nanoparticles synthesized, the maximum yield was obtained employing Titanium dioxide nanoparticles. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 3rd International Conference on Materials, Manufacturing and Modelling.

Automated summary

In this study, the yield of palm oil biodiesel was increased by utilizing nanoparticles such as Titanium dioxide and Iron oxide, with Titanium dioxide showing the highest efficiency. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized through various techniques and compared to traditional methods, demonstrating comparable biodiesel yield percentages. Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy were used to analyze the synthesized biodiesel.