Synthesis and characterization of chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol immersed in sodium hydroxide thin film as a heterogeneous catalyst in biodiesel production

Retno Ariadi Lusiana; Rahmad Nuryanto; Dilla Dayanti; Khabibi; Nanik Wijayati; Nurwarrohman Andre Sasongko; Anugrah Ricky Wijaya

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126378

Synthesis and characterization of chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol immersed in sodium hydroxide thin film as a heterogeneous catalyst in biodiesel production

Int J Biol Macromol. 2023 Aug 16:251:126378. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126378. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Retno Ariadi Lusiana¹, Rahmad Nuryanto², Dilla Dayanti², Khabibi², Nanik Wijayati³, Nurwarrohman Andre Sasongko⁴, Anugrah Ricky Wijaya⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Diponegoro University, 50275 Semarang, Indonesia. Electronic address: retno.lusiana@live.undip.ac.id.
² Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Diponegoro University, 50275 Semarang, Indonesia.
³ Department of Chemistry, Semarang State University, 50229 Semarang, Indonesia.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Diponegoro University, 50275 Semarang, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry, Pukyong National University, 608-737 Busan, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: nurwarrohman@pukyong.ac.kr.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, State University of Malang, 65145 Malang, Indonesia.

PMID: 37595724
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126378

Abstract

Biodiesel is a potential renewable energy source that can be used to replace fossil fuels because of its low toxicity, biodegradability, and renewability. However, biodiesel production requires long reaction times. Hence, a catalyst is needed to speed up the reaction and optimize production conditions. CS/PVA thin film catalyst immersed in NaOH has intriguing catalytic properties that can improve biodiesel conversion efficiency. In this paper, a series of chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol‑sodium hydroxide (CS/PVA-NaOH) thin films have been prepared as heterogeneous catalysts in biodiesel production. According to the FTIR spectra data, It shows that the vibrational frequency of the hydroxyl group (-OH) shifted from 3271 cm^-1 to 3290 cm^-1, indicating the hydrogen bond interaction between chitosan and PVA. Water uptake (45.42-218.64 %), swelling (120.63-142.99 %), porosity (62.67-243.43 %), and the durability of the thin film at pH conditions of 5-11 have been found to be the physicochemical characteristics of blended Chitosan/PVA (4/1; 3/2; 2.5/2.5; 2/3; 1/4 (v/v)). The optimal conditions for producing biodiesel were found to be around 65 °C for 90 min with an oil: methanol molar ratio of 1:7. By using a heterogeneous catalyst of CS/PVA-NaOH, the conversion efficiency from oil to biodiesel was achieved at around 95.39-99.52 %.

Keywords: Biodiesel; Chitosan; Heterogeneous catalyst; Polyvinyl alcohol.