Preparation and characterization of a strong solid base from waste eggshell for biodiesel production

A strong solid base catalyst was prepared from waste eggshell by KF modification and thermal treatment. The eggshell catalyst was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The characterization results show that potassium hydroxide (KOH) formed from the modification process enhances the basicity and catalytic ability of the catalyst. The solid base catalyst from eggshell (SBES) exhibits excellent catalytic activity and stability in the transesterification reaction, which suggested that this catalyst would be potentially used as a solid base catalyst for biodiesel production. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.