Production of Sustainable Biodiesel from Sunflower Oil over Libyan Kaolin Clay Catalyst
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63359/arzd6j22Abstract
This study investigates the conversion of sunflower oil to biodiesel as an eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuels using heterogeneous catalysts derived from Libyan Kaolin clays (Agar Ashatti region). The catalyst was thermally activated at 900 °C to produce meta-kaolin, enhancing its catalytic activity. Transesterification reactions were performed under operating conditions of a 20:1 methanol-to-oil ratio, 5 wt % catalyst loading, and a temperature of 70 °C for 4 hours. Results indicated that meta-kaolin achieved a high average conversion efficiency of 91.09%, outperforming raw kaolin at 87.83%. The produced biodiesel was characterized and compared with ASTM D6751 standards, demonstrating high quality with a kinematic viscosity of ~3.8 cSt and a heating value of 40.56 MJ/kg. The study concludes that Libyan Kaolin is a cost-effective and efficient catalyst for sustainable biodiesel production.
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