ABSTRACT
The leaching and reusability problem of the catalyst in the catalytic transesterification for biodiesel production led to the poor sustainability and high posttreatment cost. Herein, a reusable magnetic Ca2Fe2O5/CaO@MgFe2O4-Fe2O3 catalyst with high textural stability and good catalytic activity was prepared in this study, and its catalytic performance toward transesterification of five different oil feedstocks was evaluated. Catalyst preparation conditions were optimized and characterizations including scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and so on, were also conducted to investigate the catalytic behaviors. The results demonstrated that the catalyst has good ferromagnetism for magnetic separation, and the presence of synergistic interaction enhanced catalytic activity with all of > 90% biodiesel yield and improved the reusability with > 75% biodiesel yields at the 10th cycle. In addition, the biodiesel yield reached the maximum under the transesterification reaction parameters were optimized, and at the 15/1 methanol/oil molar ratio, 2.5 wt% catalyst dosage, 70°C for 120 min. Further, for biodiesel from five different oil feedstocks, the same composition, all of > 90% yield and the quality that met the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) standards demonstrated the strong oil feedstocks applicability and application potential of catalysts.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China for the financial support (2019YFB154003).
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Supplementary material
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15567036.2023.2225448
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Notes on contributors
Shaige Xia
Shaige Xia is a doctoral student, she is doing her studies and research at Tianjin University and School of Environmental Science and Engineering. Her main research areas are the utilization of biomass resources.
Jian Li
Jian Li is a research assistant in the School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Jinnan, Tianjin, P. R. China. At present, he is mainly engaged in the research of disposal and resource utilization of biomass and solid waste.
Guanyi Chen
Guanyi Chen is a professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University of Commerce, Beichen, Tianjin, P. R. China. He obtained his Doctor’s degree form Zhejiang University. At present, he is mainly engaged in the research of disposal and resource utilization of biomass and solid waste.
Junyu Tao
Junyu Tao is a lecturer in the School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University of Commerce, Beichen, Tianjin, P. R. China. He obtained his Doctor’s degree form Tianjin University and School of Environmental Science and Engineering. At present, he is mainly engaged in the research of disposal and resource utilization of biomass and solid waste.
Wanqing Li
Wanqing Li is a lab teacher in the School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University of Commerce, Beichen, Tianjin, P. R. China. She obtained her Doctor’s degree form Tianjin University and School of Environmental Science and Engineering. At present, she is mainly engaged in the research of disposal and resource utilization of biomass and solid waste.
Guangbin Zhu
Guangbin Zhu is a doctoral student, he is doing his studies and research at Tianjin University and School of Environmental Science and Engineering. His main research areas are the utilization of biomass resources.
Kaige Zhao
Kaige Zhao is a doctoral student, she is doing her studies and research at Tianjin University and School of Environmental Science and Engineering. Her main research areas are the utilization of biomass resources.