Production of fatty acid methyl ester using potassium metal supported on oil palm kernel shell activated carbon / Muhamad Fakhrul Aiman Shahril

Traditional fossil fuels can be replaced by biodiesel, which is produced from renewable resources including animal and vegetable fats. However, a catalyst is often needed to transform triglycerides into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), the main constituent of biodiesel. It has been demonstrated that heterogeneous catalysts, which combine a solid catalyst with a liquid reactant, are efficient at accelerating this reaction. In this study, an oil palm kernel shell (OPKS) and potassium (K)-based heterogeneous catalyst was created. According to the study's findings, this heterogeneous catalyst converts triglycerides to FAMEs very well, with conversion rates as high as 96%. The catalyst was also discovered to be reusable and to have high stability over numerous reaction cycles.Traditional biodiesel catalysts can be replaced with heterogeneous catalysts that are more affordable and environmentally beneficial by using resources that are abundant and sustainable, such K and OPKS. Being a byproduct of the palm oil industry, which plays a substantial role in deforestation, the utilisation of oil palm kernel shell as a source of the solid catalyst is remarkable. This waste product's transformation into a practical catalyst will not only lessen environmental impact but also open up a new source of income for the palm oil sector. The study's findings demonstrate that a heterogeneous catalyst made of K and OPKS is extremely successful in producing biodiesel and that the catalyst is reusable, stable, and environmentally beneficial. The new method of using oil palm kernel shell as a source of the solid catalyst not only helps to make the manufacture of biodiesel more sustainable, but it also makes use of a waste product.