Synthesis and Characterization of Heterogeneous Catalyst from Sugarcane Bagasse: Production of Jatropha Seed Oil Methyl Esters

In the present work, a solid catalyst has been derived by calcination (550 ​°C, 2 ​h) of waste sugarcane bagasse ash and applied for the production of jatropha seed oil methyl esters (JSOME). The prepared catalyst was well-characterized by using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), High resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS). The analysis revealed that the catalyst is composed of various metal oxides and carbonates. The catalyst could produce 92.84 ​wt. % yield of JSOME (biodiesel) at 9:1 methanol to oil ratio (MTOR), 10% catalyst and at 65 ​°C in 285 ​min, and found to be reusable. The polycrystalline catalyst with a surface area of 7.66 m2 g-1 and basic strength within 10.1 < H_ < 18.4 possesses good efficacy for the reaction with turnover frequency (TOF) of 6.59 h−1. The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of the reaction were studied. JSOME was characterized by 1H NMR and GC-MS techniques, and fuel properties were also assessed. Biodiesel synthesis with such a renewable catalyst will add value to waste sugarcane bagasse and is considered sustainable for material development.