Mild synthesis of biofuel over a microcrystalline S2O82 −/ZrO2 catalyst

A solid super acid catalyst, S 2 O 8 2   − /ZrO 2 , was prepared by a new synthesis route of one-pot method with ammonium persulfate via vapor phase hydrolysis to improve biodiesel production using expired soybean oil as reactant. Catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and NH 3 -temperature programmed desorption (NH 3 -TPD) to determine the optimum pretreatment conditions and understand the role of the active sites for transesterification . S 2 O 8 2   − /ZrO 2 calcined at 500   °C, which showed an amorphous phase by XRD characterization, was identified as composed of tetragonal phase ZrO 2 microcrystallites by TEM examination. The microcrystallites which anchored more S 2 O 8 2   − had abundant super acid and displayed high catalytic activity in the transesterification under mild reaction conditions. The reaction parameters over the catalyst were optimized and both the conversion of soybean oil and selectivity of biofuel reached 100% under the conditions of 110   °C of reaction temperature, 4   h of reaction time and 20:1 of methanol to oil molar ratio . Moreover, the catalyst showed high stability in the reactions and no sulfur leaching was found in the biodiesel products in cyclic utilization.