Application of Potassium Ion Impregnated Titanium Dioxide as Nanocatalyst for Transesterification of Linseed Oil

The current work comprises the investigation of biodiesel production from linseed oil using TiO₂ and a potassium L-tartrate monobasic (C₄H₅KO₆)-modified TiO₂ nanocatalyst. Different amounts of C₄H₅KO₆ were considered for TiO₂ modification. The nanocatalyst TiO₂-0.5C₄H₅KO₆ (1:0.5 molar ratio) showed the best conversion rate for biodiesel production. The nanocatalyst was characterized by FTIR, XRD, TEM, BET, and XPS, and the Hammett indicator-benzenecarboxylic acid titration method was used for basicity measurement. The biodiesel was characterized by GC-MS and ¹H and ¹³C NMR. Furthermore, the optimum reaction parameters for transesterification reaction were analyzed, and the yield was determined by GC-MS and ¹H NMR. The maximum yield of 98.5% was obtained with 6 wt% catalyst amount and 1:6 oil-to-methanol ratio at 60 °C for 3 h. The properties of biodiesel obtained from linseed oil were determined using the EN 14214/ASTM D6751 method. The reusability of the catalyst was tested up to five cycles and showed promising results.