A promising nanostructured bimetallic catalyst for the production of second-generation biodiesel: reuse and stability study

The stability and reusability of a promising bimetallic mesoporous catalyst (5Na/20Ce/SBA-15) to produce first- and second-generation biodiesel was studied. Soybean oil, waste frying oil, and Jatropha hieronymi oil were used as lipid raw materials. Under optimized reaction conditions (10 wt % of catalyst, methanol to oil molar ratio of 40 : 1, 60 °C, and vigorous magnetic stirring), the minimum FAME content required by the EN 14214 standard was achieved in 3 h with soybean oil and waste frying oil. Three alternatives were considered concerning the reuse of the catalyst (without and with regeneration), concluding that washing followed by calcination between each run is suitable for the material to recover its activity. FAME contents over 87 wt % were obtained in five cycles when using waste frying oil. Key quality properties of the produced biofuel were evaluated and found to comply with international standards for its commercialization as automotive diesel fuel without further treatment.