Synthesis and structural characterization of energy crop peelu methyl esters, using hybrid metallic nano-particles. A step forward to bioenergy industry

Abstract In the present research project, the energy crop peelu non-edible oil was investigated as a potential source for fatty acid methyl esters production, using hybrid metallic nano-particles. The energy crop peelu is an evergreen shrubby plant distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Naturally, the plant has having a worthy fates masses, had proceeded an optimum results for quantitative and qualitative methyl esters production, using hybrid metallic nano-particles poly-N-isopropylacrylamide “PNIPAM-Cu, PNIPAM-Pd & PNIPAM-Cu@Pd”. Whereas, the carboxyl functionalized P(NIPAM) microgels was synthesized via soap free emulsion polymerization, containing poly-N-isopropyl acrylamide and acrylic acid. The proposed thiol group was then introduced via carbodiimide mediated imide bond between the carboxyl group of carboxyl functionalized microgels and the amine from amino-ethanethiol. The Copper, Palladium and Copper@Palladium nano-particles were mixed-up into thiol-functionalized Poly-N-isopropylacrylamide microgels through metals thiol linkage. The hybrid metallic nano-particles were characterized using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) & Fourier Transfer Infra-Red (FT-IR) for rectification. The experimentation protocol for methyl esters synthesis using various concentrations of hybrid metallic nano-particles in conversion was adjusted to 1:6 oil to methanol molar ratio, temperature 60 °C and reaction time 2 h and stirring 600 rpm, respectively. The optimum yield of methyl esters was reported 92.20 against 1.5gm PNIPAM-Cu@Pd nano-particle. The chemical and structural status of synthesized methyl esters were characterized by Gas Chromatography & Mass Spectroscopy (GC&MS), FT-IR & Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) NMR spectroscopes. The physico-chemical properties of peelu crop methyl esters were analyzed, checked and compared with the international American Standards for Testing Materials (ASTM) & European Union (EN) standards, accordingly.