Synthesis of sulfonated mesoporous carbon from Calophyllum inophyllum oil cake as heterogeneous transesterification catalyst for biodiesel production: a process optimization study

ABSTRACT

To address the concern of depleting resources and forge ahead toward sustainability, new renewable materials are being explored for multifarious applications. In this present study, sulfonated mesoporous carbon was synthesized using Calophyllum inophyllum oil cake by the process of carbonization, hydrothermal treatment, and KOH activation. Sulfonation of mesoporous carbon was characterized by BET, SEM, TEM, and FTIR. N₂ gas adsorption-desorption studies were performed with the synthesized solid sulfonated catalyst and the total surface area, average pore volume, and diameter were estimated to be 618.3 m² /g, 0.72 cm³ /g, and 5.27 nm respectively. The activated mesoporous carbon was then used in the catalysis of the transesterification reaction using Calophyllum inophyllum oil as a reactant. Finally, the biodiesel yield was found to be 93.2% with methanol: oil molar ratio of 1:14, the temperature of reaction 60°C, and 1.5 (wt %) of mesoporous catalyst.

Graphical abstract

KEYWORDS:

• Mesoporous carbon
• Calophyllum inophyllum oil cake
• transesterification
• hydrothermal
• carbonization
• biodiesel

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the immense support provided by the Research board, INDIA (Grant no. ECR/2017/001038/2017-20 - SERB) in accompanying us to complete the work through their financial resource.

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All authors agreed to publish their data prior to Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects and have not submitted the data in any form to any journal.

Disclosure Statement

We wish to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.

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I wish to state that all the authors mutually agree that it should be submitted to Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects.

I wish to state that the present work is the original work of the authors.

I wish to state that the manuscript was not previously submitted to Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects.

Results were presented, honestly, and without fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation. Authors adhere to discipline-specific rules for acquiring, selecting, and processing data.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable (manuscript does not report on or involve the use of any animal or human data or tissue)

Supplementary materials

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Science and Engineering Research Board [ECR/2017/001038/2017-20 - SERB].

Notes on contributors

Akshayaa Anbalagan

Akshayaa Anbalagan is an Undergraduate student from SASTRA University.

Swathy Thiyagaragan

Swathy Thiyagaragan is an Undergraduate student from SASTRA University.

Jeyavishnu Kumaragurubaran

Jeyavishnu Kumaragurubaran is a postgraduate student from SASTRA University.

Arumugam Arumugam

Dr. Arumugam. A is currently a Senior Assistant Professor at SASTRA Deemed University, School of Chemical and Biotechnology. He is an M.Tech product of the National Institute of Technology, Trichy, in Chemical engineering plant Design and pursued B.Tech Chemical Engineering at Pondicherry Engineering College, Pondicherry. A prolific author of journal articles, book chapters, and more, he has over 15 years of academic and research experience in biofuels technological areas. He has delivered many invited lectures, keynote speeches, and scientific research, and educational presentations.  His research interest includes Environmental Biotechnology, Biofuels production, Equipment design, and Mass Transfer operations.