Synthesis and Characterization of Amorphous Nano-Alumina Powders with High Surface Area for Biodiesel Production

摘要

Nano-alumina powders containing yttrium oxide were synthesized via the sol-gel method using aluminum chloride hexahydrate as catalyst precursor. Fourier transform infrared analysis showed the presence of Al-O and Al-O-Al bands in the powder structure and X-ray diffraction spectra proved that the alumina was in the amorphous phase. The amorphous nano-alumina powders were shown to be mesoporous with a high surface area, and both spherical and slit-shaped particles were found in the calcined powder. A high percentage of conversion of oil to biodiesel was obtained in the transesterification reaction and the synthesized nano-alumina powders could be easily regenerated for further use. The amorphous nano-alumina powder can thus be recommended for use as active catalyst in the transesterification reaction for biodiesel production on the industrial scale.