Titania-termite hill composite as a heterogeneous catalyst: preparation, characterization, and performance in transesterification of waste frying oil
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Date
2020-11-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
De Gruyter
Abstract
To reveal the catalytic potential of abandoned
naturally occurring material, we synthesized titania-termite
hill composite (Ti-THC) via an incipient wetness impregnation
route, characterized by various techniques and tested as
a catalyst for transesterification of waste frying oil (WFO).
The reusability of the prepared catalyst was also studied to
evaluate its stability. The effects of reaction process parameters,
such as temperature, time, catalyst loading and
methanol/WFO molar ratio on fatty acid methyl ester
(FAME) yield, were investigated using a central composite
design approach. SEM result revealed pores formation on
the catalyst surface,while XRD and EDX analyses confirmed
successful insertion of titania into the aluminosilicate layer
of the termite hill. The maximumFAME yield of 90.78%was
obtained at optimum experimental conditions of 71.16 °C
reaction temperature, 2.12 h reaction time, 1.03 wt.%catalyst
loading and 9.96:1 methanol/WFO molar ratio. The catalyst
still maintained its better stability after being reused for
three reaction cycles.
Description
Keywords
catalyst, characterization, FAME, optimization, titania, termite hill
Citation
1