Effect of cation-exchange on catalytic activity of perovskite zirconates for transforming vegetable oil to ethyl fatty esters

Biodiesel production from FAEE, catalyzed by functional materials, has been one of the challenges in the current context of alternative energies. Solid catalysts such as doped perovskites have been recently explored to facilitate their reuse while promoting the separation of the biodiesel produced. This study demonstrates the use of Sr(1-x)K(x)ZrO3 (x up to 0.5mol) catalysts in the transesterification of soybean oil and ethanol for potential biodiesel production. The results show the intensification of catalysis by doping. For 0.5mol of K+, the catalyst exhibited a high activity of triacylglycerol to ethyl ester, achieving conversion values over 93 %, a performance not previously reported in the literature. The results show that 15 wt% of the Sr0.5Zr0.5O3 in the reaction mixture catalyst during 9h under reaction at 120 °C promoted a transesterification yield of 98 %. Moreover, 1H NMR results strongly proved the potential of Sr0.5Zr0.5O3 in biodiesel production from the transesterification process of soybean oil and ethanol.