Synthesis and Characterization of Physically Mixed V2O5.CaO as Bifunctional Catalyst for Methyl Ester Production from Waste Cooking Oil

Synthesis of the solid bifunctional vanadium-calcium mixed oxides catalyst was accomplished by application a simple physical mixing approach. In this work, we compared catalytic activity CaO and 2%V2O5.CaO catalyst. Various characterization methods, such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), BET surface area, temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) CO2 NH3, were involved in studying newly synthesized catalysts. The presence CaO, CaCO3, Ca(OH)2 compounds detected XRD FTIR analysis. existence 2% V2O5 on demonstrated XRF From TPD-NH3, TPD-CO2, area analysis, it known that V2O5-CaO had higher total number acid-base sites than fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) production from waste cooking oil (WCO) with free (FFA), could only catalyze transesterification reaction. contrast, 2%V2O5-CaO successfully both esterification FFA triglyceride (TG) simultaneously one-step reaction process. Thus, these results prove can act biodiesel WCO. Moreover, achieve maximum FAME yield 51.30% under mild conditions, including 20:1 methanol to molar ratio, 60 °C temperature, 1 wt% loading, 3 hours time.