Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 21 No 1 (2017): 197 - 203

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/mjas-2017-2101-23

 

 

 

PALM KERNEL SHELL-DERIVED BIOCHAR AND CATALYST FOR BIODIESEL PRODUCTION

 

(Biochar dan Pemangkin Berasaskan Tempurung Kelapa Sawit untuk Penghasilan Biodiesel)

 

Dayang Nuradila¹, Wan Azlina Wan Ab Karim Ghani¹*, Azil Bahari Alias²

 

¹Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering,

Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400  UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

²Faculty of Chemical Engineering,

Universiti Teknologi MARA,40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: wanazlina@upm.edu.my

 

 

Received: 21 October 2015; Accepted: 14 June 2016

 

 

Abstract

A promising catalyst based on a biomass pyrolysis by-product, biochar, has been developed to produce biodiesel. A carbon-based solid acid catalysts were prepared by sulfonating pyrolysis char with concentrated sulfuric acids. The catalysts were characterized using thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and surface area analyzer. Prepared catalysts were studied for their ability to catalyze transesterification of vegetable oils. The catalyst sulfonated with the concentrated sulfuric acid demonstrated considerable conversion in free fatty acid esterification. Further investigation of the catalyst was conducted to determine the effect of sulfonation time (1 and 3 hours) and surface area on the transesterification reactions. The surface area of the biochar was increased by chemical treatment using 10M potassium hydroxide through porosity development. Results showed the catalyst with the highest surface area and acid density to have the highest catalytic activity to produce biodiesel from canola oil in the presence of methanol as the reagent. The effects of alcohol to oil (A:O) molar ratio, reaction time and catalyst loading on the esterification reaction catalyzed by the sulfonated biochar were also investigated. Results revealed that more than 90% biodiesel yield was achieved at 15 wt% of catalyst amount, methanol to oil molar ratio was 9:1 and the agitation rate was 700 rpm. As a conclusion, the prepared biochar-based catalyst has a tremendous potential to be used in a process converting a high Free Fatty Acids (FFA) feedstock to biodiesel.

 

Keywords:  transesterification, vegetable oil, palm kernel shell, biochar-based catalyst

 

Abstrak

Pemangkin yang berasaskan pirolisis biomass produk sampingan, biochar, telah dibangunkan untuk penghasilan biodiesel. Pemangkin asid pepejal berasaskan karbon telah dihasilkan daripada sulfonasi pirolisis char dengan asid sulfurik pekat. Pemangkin telah dicirikan menggunakan analisis termogravimetri (TGA), mikroskop imbasan elektron (SEM), spektroskopi infra merah transformasi Fourier (FTIR) dan penganalisa luas permukaan. Pemangkin yang tersedia telah dikaji keupayaannya untuk menjadi pemangkin transesterifikasi minyak sayur-sayuran. Pemangkin sulfonat dengan asid sulfurik pekat menunjukkan penukaran ini boleh dipertimbangkan dalam pengesteran asid lemak bebas. Kajian lanjut terhadap pemangkin telah dijalankan untuk menentukan kesan masa sulfonasi  (1 dan 3 jam) dan luas permukaan pada tindak balas transesterifikasi. Luas permukaan biochar telah meningkat melalui rawatan kimia menggunakan 10M kalium hidroksida melalui pembangunan liang. Hasil kajian telah menunjukkan pemangkin dengan luas permukaan dan ketumpatan asid yang paling tinggi mempunyai aktiviti pemangkinan tertinggi bagi pengeluaran biodiesel daripada minyak kanola dengan kehadiran metanol sebagai reagen. Nisbah molar kesan alkohol kepada minyak (A:O), masa tindak balas dan muatan pemangkin keatas tindak balas pengesteran yang dimangkinkan oleh biochar sulfonat turut disiasat. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa lebih daripada 90% hasil biodiesel telah dicapai pada 15 wt% daripada jumlah pemangkin, nisbah molar metanol kepada minyak adalah 9:1 dan kadar pergolakan adalah 700 rpm. Kesimpulannya, pemangkin berasaskan biochar yang dihasilkan mempunyai potensi yang amat besar untuk digunakan dalam proses penukaran bahan mentah asid lemak bebas tinggi (FFA) kepada biodiesel.

 

Kata kunci:  transeterifikasi, minyak sayuran, tempurung kelapa sawit, pemangkin berasaskan biochar

 

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