An efficient Mo20/SiO2-La transesterification catalyst: The promoting role of La on anti-carbon deposition

Biodiesel production via solid acid catalysis route is one of the most promising and environmentally friendly ways to converting waste cooking oil (WCO) into green fuels. Mo 20 /SiO 2 -La solid acid catalyst shows satisfactory catalytic performance for the transesterification reaction. 91.0 % biodiesel yield can be obtained over the optimized catalyst at 155 ℃ with oil-to-alcohol molar ratio of 1:10 when using soybean oil as the reactant, and 87.1 % yield was obtained by using waste cooking oil. Mo 20 /SiO 2 -La has good reusability and can be regenerated by calcination and reused for at least 5 times. The catalyst was investigated by XPS, NH 3 -TPD, TGA, XRD, TPO, etc., and the promoting role of La (lanthanum) on the stability was discussed. The stability of Mo (molybdenum) active sites and the anti-carbon deposition capability of the catalyst was greatly enhanced by the introduction of La species. The LaO x species close to the Mo acidic sites effectively suppressed the deposition of free fatty acid and thus contributed to the good performance.