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Mechanochemical Synthesized CaO/ZnCo 2 O 4 Nanocomposites for Biodiesel Production.

Authors :
Narasimharao, Katabathini
Mostafa, Mohamed Mokhtar M.
Al-Amshany, Zahra M.
Bajafar, Wejdan
Source :
Catalysts (2073-4344). Feb2023, Vol. 13 Issue 2, p398. 18p.
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

Biodiesel has been recognized as an environmentally friendly, renewable alternative to fossil fuels. In this work, CaO/ZnCo2O4 nanocomposites were successfully synthesized via simple mechanochemical reaction between ZnCo2O4 and CaO powders by varying the CaO loading from 5 to 20 wt.%. The synthesized materials were found to be highly efficient heterogeneous catalysts for transesterification of tributyrin with methanol to produce biodiesel. The nanocomposite, which contained 20 wt.% CaO and 80 wt.% ZnCo2O4 (CaO/ZnCo2O4-20), exhibited superior and stable transesterification activity (98% conversion) under optimized reaction conditions (1:12 TBT to methanol molar ratio, 5 wt.% catalyst and 180 min. reaction time). The experimental results revealed that the reaction mechanism on the CaO/ZnCo2O4 composite followed pseudo first-order kinetics. The physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized nanocomposites were measured using X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), N2-physisorption, and CO2- temperature-programmed desorption (CO2-TPD) techniques. The results indicated the existence of coalescence between the CaO and ZnCo2O4 particles, Additionally, the CaO/ZnCo2O4-20 catalyst was found to possess the greater number of highly basic sites and high porosity, which are the key factors affecting catalytic performance in transesterification reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20734344
Volume :
13
Issue :
2
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Catalysts (2073-4344)
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
162086249
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13020398