Biodiesel Production from Soybean Oil over TiO2 Supported nano-ZnO

TiO2 supported nano-ZnO catalyst was prepared by deposition-precipitation and tested for the trans-esterification reaction of soybean oil to biodiesel. The TiO2 support stabilized the nano-ZnO in a dispersed form with limited crystallite size compared to the unsupported ZnO. The final ZnO dispersion and crystallite size and the material transfer resistance in the catalyst significantly influenced the supported nano-ZnO catalyst performance.

Authors:

• Mbala Mukenga
• Edison Muzenda
• Kalala Jalama
• Reinout Meijboom

Keywords:

• nano-ZnO
• soybean oil
• TiO2
• trans-esterification

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