Biodiesel Synthesis from Nyamplung (Calophyllum Inophyllum) Oil Using Heterogenous Modified Geopolymer Catalyst Derived from Kaolin

Abstract

This work aims to develop a new type of solid base catalyst for biodiesel synthesis from “nyamplung” oil. A heterogenous catalyst was synthesized by modifying kaolin into a geopolymer. The geopolymer catalyst was activated using ammonium nitrate. The microstructure, specific surface area, pore diameter, pore volume, and crystalline phase of the catalyst were characterized. It was possible to achieve the highest biodiesel yield of 95.14%. The effects of reaction temperature, reaction time, oil-to-methanol molar ratio, and catalyst loading on the yield of biodiesel were examined. As per ASTM D6751 and SNI 7182:2015 standards, the biodiesel obtained is of satisfactory quality.