Abstract

In this study, carbon based sulphonated catalyst (CBSC) was developed from coconut shell biomass material by direct sulphonation method using concentrated sulphuric acid. The CBSC was characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Total acid density, energy dispersive X-ray Spectrometer (EDX) and Bruneuer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area. The catalytic activity of the catalyst was evaluated in esterification reactions using oleic acid and methanol. The optimum percentage conversion of 96.78% using coconut sulphonated catalyst (CSC), was obtained at a temperature of 45OC, catalyst dosage of 1.75g and reaction time of 270min. The results obtained showed that the CSC from coconut shell biomass was active in catalyzing the esterification reaction process and this makes it a promising heterogeneous catalyst in biodiesel production.

Keywords: Carbon based sulphonated catalyst, Coconut shell, Oleic acid, Esterification