Magnetically retrievable catalyst for transesterification of palm oil to biodiesel

One of the problems encountered for transesterification of triglycerides by methanol to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) to produce biodiesel is the removal of the catalyst from the products. This project aims to solve this problem by fabricating magnetically retrievable catalyst (Ag/V₂O₅/F₃O₄). The formulation of silver, vanadium(V) oxide (V₂O₅), and iron(II,III) oxide (Fe₃O₄) will be tailored to produce a synergically active catalyst that can effectively catalyze the transesterification of triglycerides to FAMEs. The actual percentage of each metal in the catalyst, the morphology, particle size and shape of silver nanoparticles, oxidation state of each metal, and surface plasmon band will be characterized.