Preparation of CaO/γ-Al2O3 catalyst for biodiesel fuels. The catalytic activity in relation to thermal treatment

Abstract

A heterogeneous base catalyst (CaO/γ-Al2O3) for biodiesel production from sunflower oil was prepared by the impregnation method. The catalyst was characterized by means of MIP and XRD methods. The catalytic activity of the nitrate-derived CaO/γ-Al2O3 was determined in relation to the calcination temperature ranging from 425 to 500 °C. The reaction was carried out in a batch type of reactor equipped with a reflux condenser. The maximum yield of biodiesel of almost 95% was achieved with the catalyst calcined at 475 °C under the following reaction conditions: reaction temperature of 60 °C, methanol to oil molar ratio of 12/1, reaction time of 5 h.