Transesterification of Palm Oil by Using Silica Loaded Potassium Carbonate (K₂CO₃/SiO₂) Catalysts to Produce Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME)

摘要

Transesterification of palm oil with methanol to form fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) was performed, using silica loaded with potassium carbonate, K₂CO₃/SiO₂ as a solid base catalyst. The catalyst was prepared by an impregnation method and calcined at 1237 K. The prepared catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer – Emmett - Teller (BET) surface area analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and temperature-programmed desorption of carbon dioxide (CO₂-TPD). High yield biodiesel (98.10%) was obtained with a reaction time of 3 h, reaction temperature of 333 K, molar ratio methanol to oil of 20:1, catalyst loading of 20 wt%, and catalyst amount of 4 wt%. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) confirmed the existence of FAME with distinct peaks equivalent to hydrogen singlet from the methyl ester methoxyl group at 3.67 ppm and from methylenic hydrogen at 2.31 ppm. FAME was also successfully quantified using gas chromatography (GC) where peaks corresponded to fatty acid methyl esters of palm oil.