Perovskite-structured Active Solid Catalyst for Biofuel Synthesis

Abstract A solid catalyst tailored to perovskite structure was synthesized and investigated for catalytic activity in a transesterification reaction to form biodiesel. The catalyst has demonstrated high catalytic activity and selectivity for biodiesel under very mild reaction conditions and short reaction times. The catalyst system has shown robust resistance to leaching of the active phase when reused. The performance was attributable to the perovskite structure and the dopant metal used. Hence, this work has shown that the structure and dopant metal of the solid catalyst could be tailored to enhance catalytic activity and durability for renewable fuel synthesis.