Synthesis and Characterization of Renewable Heterogeneous Catalyst ZnO Supported Biogenic Silica from Pineapple Leaves Ash for Sustainable Biodiesel Conversion

Abstract

This study reports on the first case of the low-cost and environmentally friendly ZnO/SiO2 heterogeneous catalyst from pineapple leaves ash (PLA). Catalyst shows excellent performance in catalyzing the transesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO) with methanol for biodiesel conversion. This study focuses on assessing the influence of Zn content on physicochemical characteristics, using XRD, FTIR, SEM, and N2 adsorption-desorption methods. In addition, three different Zn content levels (20, 25, and 30 %wt) were applied. The results showed that all ZnO/SiO2 samples exhibited characteristics suitable for use as catalyst with an average crystallite size of 31.83-34.15 nm, and a surface area of 88.97 m2/g to 93.41 m2/g. Importantly, the sample shows efficient catalytic activity for conversion of biodiesel from WCO with the largest conversion using a ZnO/SiO2-30 catalyst of 96.17% with the carbon chain of C12-C20. The optimum reaction conditions used 3 g of ZnO/SiO2-30, reaction time 6 hours at 57.5 oC and WCO to methanol ratio of 3:1 with a yield of 98.62%. The resulting catalyst has extraordinary durability up to sixth cycles. It shows that the material has the potential to be a renewable catalyst from sustainable resources. The ZnO/SiO2 catalyst production using PLA for biodiesel production from WCO represents the potential for using agricultural waste into valuable materials in future energy.

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