Characterization of Lanthanum Nitrate Modified CaMgZn Mixed Oxide Catalysts for Synthesis of Biodiesel

CaMgZn mixed oxide (CMZ) catalysts were modified by addition of lanthanum nitrate, and the use of modified catalysts (CMZL) for biodiesel synthesis were investigated. The conditions of biodiesel production with modified catalysts were optimized. Using optimized conditions, including lanthanum nitrate addition of 3wt.%, catalyst amount of 5wt.%, reaction temperature of 50°C, methanol to oil molar ratio of 15:1 and reaction time of 1h, the glycerol yield of 86.80% catalyzed by CMZL could be attained, which was higher compared with the CMZ catalyzed process of 82.94%. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) were used to compare the modified CMZL catalyst with the CMZ bare catalyst. The results indicated that the lanthanum modified catalysts (CMZL) have excellent surface property. The modified catalysts could be suitable for commercial application.