sulfation of metal-organic framework (mof) nanocatalyst for esterification of oleic acid with methanol to produce biodiesel

Background: metal-organic frameworks (mofs) represent tremendous potential as heterogeneous catalyst in renewable energy production. in this study, biodiesel production using the modified mof nanocatalyst was investigated in the esterification reaction.methods: mof nanocatalyst was prepared using solvothermal method and modified through sulfation process. the nanocatalysts was characterized by xrd, ft-ir, fe-sem, tem, n2 adsorption-desorption, and nh3-tpd techniques. the performance of the nanocatalysts was evaluated in the esterification reaction of free fatty acid (ffa) at different operating conditions.results: the results showed the high crystallinity, appropriate textural properties (995.6 m2g-1), well-adjusted acidity, and high hydrophobicity. the sulfation degree of 4 cc g-1 resulted in the best nanocatalyst, which led to the highest ffa conversion (97%) at the optimal conditions: methanol to ffa ratio of 10:1, 3wt.% nanocatalyst, 160 °c, and 6 hours. surprisingly, the developed nanocatalyst had a great reusability while the conversion reduction was only 8% after six sequence cycles.conclusion: these results proved the high capability of the developed nanocatalyst in the esterification reaction to produce biodiesel.