PRODUCTION OF BIODIESEL FROM USED COOKING OIL USING CALCIUM PHOSPHATE SCUM BASED CATALYST FROM SUGAR REFINING INDUSTRY

ABSTRACT

In recent years, there has been a notable surge in the rate of energy consumption, prompting a global quest for novel fuel sources. Biodiesel, derived from organic materials or wastes, stands as a sustainable and substitute energy option that possesses the potential to significantly diminish carbon discharge. The fundamental concept underpinning the production of biodiesel revolves around the substitution of conventional fuels with those synthesized from plant substances or other renewable feedstocks that exhibit enhanced environmental friendliness. For the course of this study, waste cooking oil was utilized as a feedstock, also agricultural waste (calcium phosphate scum) was used to synthesize the catalyst used for the production of biodiesel. This study looked into the possibility of using calcium phosphate scum from the sugar refining industry as a composite bio-based heterogeneous catalyst for the transesterification of waste cooking oil. The synthesized catalyst was also characterized by XRF, XRD, SEM, FTIR, and BET. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the experimental variables and create biodiesel using a single-step transesterification process. An optimum biodiesel yield of 93.2% was achieved at 55°C reaction temperature, 90 min reaction time, 1 wt% catalyst loading, and 12:1 methanol to oil molar ratio. The RSM model was seen to be quite effective in optimizing biodiesel production (R2 = 0.9886). The synthesized catalyst has significant advantages over conventional catalysts as a result of its low cost, ease of preparation, stability, and availability.