Optimization of Biodiesel Production from Used Vegetable Oil using Functionalized Catalyst derived from Anthill

In this research, silica-supported catalyst was developed from Anthill and zirconia for biodiesel production using used vegetable oil (UVO) in a transesterification process. The catalyst, which was made up of 80 wt% silica from Anthill and 20 wt% zirconia, was prepared by wet impregnation method and calcined at 800℃ for 4 h in a muffle furnace. The developed catalyst was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Ray (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX). The characterisation showed that the product has good catalytic activity for the transesterification reaction. Optimisation of the process parameters; reaction temperature, time, catalyst loading, and methanol to oil ratio were investigated using central composite design (CCD). The optimum conditions for optimal yield (97.88%.) were 1 h reaction time, 65 ℃ temperature, 0.5 wt.% catalyst loading, and 9:1 methanol to oil ratio. The experimental biodiesel yield was validated in triplicate at the optimal conditions and an average biodiesel yield of 97.78% was obtained which falls within the range predicted by the model. The quality of biodiesel produced was within the specification limits of biodiesel standard. The experimental study confirmed that the silica-supported catalyst developed from anthill is capable of transesterification of UVO into biodiesel under optimized conditions. Hence, the study recommends that other naturally occurring materials could be used as catalyst support to avoid low yield of biodiesel production.