Biodiesel Production From Palm Oil Using Banana Weevil Ash As a Solid Catalyst
Meriatna(a), Husni Husin(a,b*), Medyan Riza(a,b), M. Faisal(a,b), Khairunnisa(b), Richa Syafitri(b)

(a)Doctoral Program, School of Engineering , Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia 23111
(b) Reaction Engineering and Catalysis Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia 23111
*husni_husin[at]che.unsyiah.ac.id

Abstract

In this present study, we investigated the use of banana weevil ash as solid catalysts for biodiesel production. The ash catalyst was prepared through a simple burn of banana weevil in an open room. The powder was crushed by mortar and calcined at 600 degree C for 5 h. The crystallinity and the morphologies of the powder were analyzed by XRD, SEM, and EDX. The biodiesel production was carried out in a batch reactor for 90 minutes using stirrer at 65 degree C. The molar ratio of methanol to oil was varied of 6:1, 8:1, 10:1, 12:1, and 14:1 with catalyst loading of 4.0 wt.%. The results showed that the highest yield was reached 96% at methanol to oil ratios of 12:1. The density and viscosity of biodiesel were reported of 0.84 gr/ml and 3.04 cSt, respectively. The properties of biodiesel showed conformity in the range of SNI standard. Based on these results, banana weevil ash can be a promising heterogeneous catalyst for biodiesel production.

Keywords: Solid catalyst, banana weevil, ash, biodiesel

Topic: Chemical Engineering