Characterization of MgO nanocatalyst to produce biodiesel from goat fat using transesterification process

In this study, biodiesel was produced from goat fat in the presence of magnesium oxide (MgO) nano-catalyst using transesterification process. The characteristics of the catalyst were studied using field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), energy dispersive X-ray/mapping (EDX/Map), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The result showed that the specific surface area and the average pore diameter of the nanocatalyst were 40.44 m²/g and 36.7 nm, respectively, which showed that the catalyst is mesoporous. According to the results of the DLS analysis, the average particle size of the catalyst was determined to be 5.5 nm. Also, the maximum biodiesel yield of 93.12% was obtained at temperature of 70 °C, methanol/oil molar ratio of 12:1, the catalyst content of 1 wt.%, and reaction time of 3 h. In addition, biodiesel was mixed with diesel at different ratios (B25, B50, B75, and B100) to improve fuel properties of the produced biodiesel. The results indicated that the mixtures of B75 and B100 had better density, viscosity, and flash point in comparison to the other mixtures and their properties were within the range of international standards.