Effect of Temperature and Tapioca Flour Concentration on Manufacture of CaO·SiO2 Heterogeneous Catalyst Pellets Made from Brick Burning Ash for Biodiesel Synthesis

Abstract

Solid catalysts are the best choice for an effective large-scale biodiesel production process. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of catalysts due to the influence of variations in sintering temperature and binder composition on heterogeneous catalysts of CaO·SiO2 pellets made from brick-burning residue. The catalyst was made by the sol-gel method with silica insoles with 5% KOH solvent, CaO soles with HNO3 solvent of 1.5 N, and a CaO: SiO2 ratio of 1:5. The amount of tapioca flour binders was 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5%. The resulting gel was made into a catalyst powder, sintered at various temperatures of 600 °C, 700 °C, 800 °C, 900 °C, and 1000 °C, then pelleted with a hydraulic press with a diameter of 9 mm. Catalysts were tested with density test, hardness test, PSA, XRF, XRD, and SEM. The characteristics of the CaO·SiO2 catalysts were influenced by the composition of the binding material and the sintering temperature. The test results show that the influence of variations in the composition of the binder fluctuates because the characteristics of the catalyst are also affected by the compaction process. The higher the sintering temperature, the better the catalyst will be, but if the temperature is too high it can cause agglomeration.