Exploring Musa paradisiaca peduncle as catalyst for synthesis of hybrid oil biodiesel: A sustainable approach

The use of agricultural waste to generate cost-efficient and reusable catalysts can help mitigate concerns generated by its poor management. Such an approach contributes to developing a solid base catalyst that is both environmentally safe and economically viable for producing biodiesel at a lower cost. The current study investigates the efficacy of calcined Musa paradisiaca peduncle as a cost-effective and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for the transesterification of jatropha and neem hybrid oil. The catalyst was synthesized by calcining the burnt ash of M. paradisiaca peduncle at 550 ℃ for 2 h, which was then characterized via various spectroscopic methods. The catalyst showed high efficacy, with a BET surface area of 3.568 m² g⁻¹, and high K content (28.81 wt%) existing as oxides and carbonates. The optimal reaction conditions for the transesterification of an equal ratio of jatropha and neem oils are obtained as 12:1 of methanol-to-oil molar ratio (MOMR), 7 wt% of catalyst loading, and 65 ℃ of reaction temperature, yielding maximum biodiesel of 95.86 ± 0.14 % in a reaction time of 33 ± 0.71 min. The catalyst showed reusable capacity for up to 3 consecutive cycles and yield of 86.86 ± 1.56 % was obtained in the third cycle. The kinetic and thermodynamic investigation was also carried out, and the reaction followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, having ΔH^Ө (enthalpy change) and ΔS^Ө (entropy change) of 60.64 kJ mol⁻¹ K⁻¹ and −1.0035 kJ mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively. The activation energy (Ea) of the CMPP (calcined M. paradisiaca peduncle) catalyzed transesterification was 64.97 kJ mol⁻¹.