Tresia Pangestu, Yosafat Kurniawan, Felycia Edi Soetaredjo, Shella Permatasari Santoso, Wenny Irawaty, Maria Yuliana, Sandy Budi Hartono, Suryadi Ismadji
The metal-organic framework (MOF) used as a heterogeneous catalyst for biodiesel production has been produced from the coordination of benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (BTc) and divalent copper (Cu). A straightforward solvothermal method with ethanol-water solvent was employed for the production of MOF, and rod-like CuBTc-MOF particles with a unit cell length of 37.12 nm were obtained. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) sorption-isotherm characterization revealed that CuBTc holds a surface area of 1085.72 m2/g and a total pore volume of 1.68 cm3/g. The high thermal stability of CuBTc, with a degradation temperature of 303 °C, was confirmed through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Other characterizations were also carried out to characterize the CuBTc. Specifically, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The produced CuBTc-MOF is applied to produce biodiesel from palm oil. The composition in biodiesel was quantified using gas chromatography (GC) analysis. The optimal FAME yield in biodiesel of 91% was obtained from transesterification using 0.04 g CuBTc and methanol to oil volume ratio of 5:1. Recycled CuBTc- MOF was also capable of producing biodiesel with high FAME yield, which is 86%. The obtained result signifies the potential catalytic activity of CuBTc-MOF in the production of biodiesel. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University, Kalijudan 37, Surabaya, 60114, Indonesia; Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, No. 43, Sec 4, Keelung Rd, Da'an District, Taipei City, Taiwan