SYNTHESIS OF SOLID CATALYST FROM DOLOMITE FOR BIODIESEL PRODUCTION USING PALM KERNEL OIL IN AN OPTIMIZATION PROCESS BY DEFINITIVE SCREENING DESIGN

Abstract A solid catalyst for biodiesel production was synthesized from dolomite by calcination at different temperatures of 800 and 900oC for 2 h. The catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET). Its performance in the production of palm kernel biodiesel (PKB) using palm kernel oil in an optimization study was carried out by a definitive screening design. The varying process parameters for the optimization were methanol:oil molar ratio, reaction temperature, catalyst quantity, reaction time and dolomite calcination temperature. Tendency an...