ABSTRACT
This work reports the potential of novel non-edible seed oil of Lepidium perfoliatum Linn. (LSO) for accessing its potential to synthesize biodiesel using zirconium-modified montmorillonite clay catalyst. The newly synthesized zirconium-modified clay catalyst (ZrO-Mmt) was characterized using by X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), and Fourier transfer Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the Lepidium biodiesel (LBD) yield. Maximum biodiesel yield (88%) achieved under optimized reaction conditions were 1:15 oil: methanol, 3.5% catalyst amount at135°C for 4h respectively. Different techniques like FTIR, GC/MS, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR were used for characterizing LBD. Additionally, major fuel properties of LBD for instance kinematic viscosity (4.10 mm2/s), density (0.8212kg/L), cloud point (−8 °C), flash point (74°C), and pour point (−9°C) agree well with the international biodiesel standards. Overall, Lepidium perfoliatum Linn. seed oil and ZrO-Mmt clay catalysts appear to be cheap, stable, and highly active contenders for the biodiesel industry.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to the Higher Education Commission (NRPU project no. 6172) and Pakistan Academy of Sciences (Project no. 5-9/PAS/9/4) for financial assistance