DefinePK

Abstract

This paper presents the synthesis of a facil and low cost Cengar clay/La catalyst for biodiesel production from Ceiba Pentandra (CP) seed oil. The clay was activated using base (NaOH) and acid (H2SO4). Both activated clay were impregnated using La2O3 to increase the activity of catalyst. The concentration of NaOH, H2SO4 and La2O3 loading were varied to obtain the best catalyst for biodiesel synthesis. The obtained catalyst was then calcined at 300°C for 3 hours to remove the impurities and activated the catalyst. The catalysts were characterized using SEM to study the morphology of the catalyst. The performance of the catalysts was tested and compared on transesterification process of esterified CP seed oil. The result showed that Cengar clay activated using 1 N NaOH and 1% Lanthanum loading has the highest activity. The FAME yield obtained was of 86 % at reaction temperature of 60°C, methanol to oil molar ratio of 9:1, catalyst loading of 0.5% and transesterification reaction time of 120 min. The physicochemical properties of the produced biodiesel comply with SNI 04-1782-2006.