Study on Deactivation and Regeneration of Modified Red Mud Catalyst Used in Biodiesel Production

Abstract

Deactivation of solid catalyst often occurs in biodiesel production. In this work, deactivated modified red mud catalysts used in biodiesel production were regenerated with hexane and calcination treatments. The deactivated and regenerated catalysts were characterized using XRD, FTIR, SEM, TG, N2 adsorption, measured for their basic strength, and tested in the transesterification of canola oil. The results revealed that the main cause of the catalyst deactivation is due to obstruction of the active sites by contaminants. The regeneration by washing with hexane followed by calcination can effectively improve the properties of the deactivated catalyst and increase its catalytic activity.