Synthesis and study of carbon-based magnetic catalysts for biodiesel production

Biodiesel is a promising alternative to conventional fossil fuels, so effective catalysis is essential to enhance the efficiency and selectivity in biodiesel production. This article discusses one of the methods used to synthesize these catalysts and their effectiveness in biofuel production. A catalyst was synthesized from palm frond waste, which is abundant in Iraq. Palm frond dust acquired magnetic properties by adding iron (III) chloride by the impregnation method. Palm frond dust was carbonized for 3 h at 700 C°and then sulfonated using (H2SO4) depending on variable factors such as reaction time, temperature, and acid concentration. The change of these factors on the acidity value of the catalyst was studied. The catalyst was characterized using techniques such as FTIR, SEM, acid value, and BET. The study successfully prepared an effective magnetic catalyst with the possibility of recovery due to its magnetic properties. The surface area determined by BET was 585.12 m2/g, indicating a high specific surface area value. The highest expected acid value was 4.23 mmol/g at a reaction time of 2.6 h°, a temperature of 50 C°, and a concentration of 10 M.