Advanced Nanocomposite Polymer-Biomaterial Catalysts for Integrated Biodiesel and Battery Systems in Sustainable Energy Applications

Abstract

The rising issues of pollution and the depletion of fossil fuels have also accelerated the search for sustainable alternatives. The aim of this research is to improve the efficiency of the reaction, the reusability of the catalyst, and the purity of the produced fuel by producing biodiesel from waste vegetable oil through the use of a polymer-CaO-TiO2 nanocomposite catalyst, as described, but without the two “nanocomposite catalyst” instances. The catalyst was produced through the Sol-gel assisted incorporation process, where calcium oxide, extracted from calcined eggshells, was compounded with titanium oxide nanoparticles and the biodegradable polymer. The physico-chemical properties of the WVO and the properties of the catalyst were assessed through standardized procedures. The optimization of the transesterification reaction was carried out by varying three significant factors, namely temperature (55-75°C), amount of catalyst (1-5 wt%, CaO), and molar ratio of methanol-to-oil (6:1-10:1) while other factors kept constant in each test run. Methanol acted as both the reactant and solvent, thereby giving FAME as products. The experimental works revealed an increase in the amount of produced biodiesel and reaction time by the polymer-CaO-TiO₂ catalyst compared to CaO catalyst. This work illustrates the possibility of combining nanocomposite catalyst development techniques and the processes associated with the generation of waste-to-energy as a viable and environmentally friendly means of producing biodiesel. The proposed process ensures an efficient, cleaner, and recyclable method of generating high-quality biodiesel from waste vegetable oil.