Strontium and nickel heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel production from macaw oil

Abstract

It is presented herein heterogeneous catalysts comprised of strontium and nickel oxides synthesized using a coprecipitation method. They were applied for the preparation of biodiesel from macaw palm oil. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), adsorption and desorption of nitrogen by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) methods, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and differential thermogravimetric analysis (TG-DTA). The conversion was determined by gas chromatography with flame detector (GC-FID). The best activity was obtained when the catalyst was calcined at 1100°C for 3 hours. The highest conversion was reached (97%) when the following conditions were used: 5 hours, 2% of metal loading, 65°C and oil/alcohol molar ratio of 1:9.