SYNTHESIS OF ALUMINATE BASED BIODIESEL SOLID CATALYST

• Main Author: Jayastru Nitiwindriya, Dylan
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/73720
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

<p align="justify"> The world energy demand grows bigger as time goes on. This issue triggers an urge to find renewable and environmentally friendly fuel source. Biodiesel is a green fuel alternative produced from plant and animal oils. Indonesia has a big potential in the palm oil sector. Production volume of crude palm oil (CPO) is projected to reach 54,7 tons in 2022. The Indonesian government has implemented a biodiesel B30 regulation where petroleum diesel is blended with fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) produced from crude palm oil with a ratio of 70:30. Transesterification is the most utilized method in FAME blended biodiesel production through methanol and homogenous catalyst. Usage of homogenous catalyst could minimize biodiesel yield if high acid content oils are used. Heterogenous catalyst has the potential to be the solution that could resolve this issue. From the transesterification process carried out, biodiesel was obtained with FAME levels in the range of 92.95%-96.89% using K2O/?-Al2O3 catalyst and 77.52%-78.95% on CaO/?-Al2O3 catalyst according to the experimental design which has been set. From the factorial design analysis performed, it can be concluded that the K content in the impregnant liquid has a significant effect on the FAME content in the biodiesel produced. For the CaO/?-Al2O3 catalyst, the methanol-oil ratio has a significant effect on the biodiesel produced. K has an affinity for fatty acids, so a larger surface area of K2O will result in a higher absorption capacity of fatty acids on the catalyst. Increasing the K2O content in the catalyst will increase the alkaline nature of the catalyst, so that it can accelerate the reaction rate of the transesterification reaction.