Synthesis of Catalytic Materials for Biofuel Production from Waste

Abstract

Due to population growth and the depletion of conventional fuel sources, there is a need to develop alternative sources that can meet energy demand. One alternative that has gained attention is the use of biomass, specifically for biofuel production. There is also a growing need to reduce waste generated by human activities. Therefore, the present study explores the use of waste for catalyst synthesis. Municipal sludge, bone char, and Tetra Pak waste were used as feedstocks to produce carbon-based catalysts functionalized with hydroxides and acids to promote the transesterification and esterification reactions of oils and lipids for the production of fatty acid methyl esters. This work allowed biodiesel to be obtained using these catalysts, with conversions above 50%. These results show that the waste materials used can serve as feedstocks for producing catalysts intended for biodiesel production.

Keywords: Biofuels; waste valorization; heterogeneous catalysts.