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Biomass, renewable, abundantly available and a good source of energy. The conversion of biomass waste into valuable products has received wide attention. In this study, an empty fruit bunch (oil palm EFB) supported magnetic acid catalyst for esterification reaction was successfully prepared via the one-step impregnation process. The new magnetic catalyst achieved a higher surface area of 188.87 m2/g with a total acidity of 2.4 mmol/g and identified iron oxide as g-Fe2O3. The magnetization value of 24.97 emu/g demonstrated that the superparamagnetic catalyst could be easily recovered and separated after the reaction using an external magnet. The catalytic performance of oil palm EFB supported magnetic acid catalyst was examined by esterification of oleic acid. Esterification process parameters were optimized via Response Surface Methodology (RSM) optimization tool with Box-Behnken design (BBD). The following optimum parameters were determined: an amount of 9 wt% catalyst, molar ratio of methanol to oleic acid of 12:1, reaction time of 2 h and reaction temperature of 60 °C with a maximum conversion of 94.91% was achieved. The catalyst can be recycled up to five cycles with minimal loss in its activity. The oil palm waste-based magnetic acid catalyst indicates its potential replacement to the existing solid catalysts that are economical and environmentally friendly for the esterification process in biofuel applications. Copyright © 2021 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

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In recent years, attention has been drawn to produce heterogeneous catalyst to replace homogeneous catalyst in biodiesel industry. This study was focused on the synthesis of three different types of alginate based heterogeneous catalyst (Ferric-alginate, Copper-alginate, and Nickel alginate) and the effect of the catalyst on esterification of oleic acid. Morphology and elemental analysis was conducted to investigate the properties of the catalyst. The new heterogeneous catalysts were used to catalyze the esterification of oleic acid at reaction temperature of 60°C and 2 hours reaction time. Fe-alginate has achieved the highest free fatty acids (FFAs) conversation rate of 82.03%. The results and findings proved that transition metal-alginate heterogeneous catalyst has the potential and ability to esterify the free fatty acids prior biodiesel production from high free fatty acids feedstock.