Greener Synthesis of Zirconium-Based Nanocatalyst for Transesterification

The development of a solid base catalyst for various industrially important reactions is a stressing need of time. The generation of strong basic sites over the surface of an amphoteric metal oxide could be a useful approach for developing a novel solid base active catalyst. In line with these lacunae, a zirconia-based nanocatalyst with strong basic sites was developed via a greener method. A detailed structural analysis of it was carried out using UV–Vis, FT-IR, XRD, and HR-TEM. It was examined as a heterogeneous catalyst for the transesterification reaction of used cottonseed oil using methanol and different reaction parameters such as the amount of catalyst, reaction temperature, and the molar ratio of oil and methanol were optimized. The experimental findings showed that 2.5 wt% catalysts with a 1:30 M ratio of oil to methanol showcased a conversion of more than 97% when the reaction was carried at 120 °C for 25 min. A significant improvement in the conversion of oil to fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) in minimum possible time and optimized reaction parameters has been observed in contrast to other reported acid-modified zirconia catalysts. Further, the possible mechanistic pathway of the catalytic transesterification of triglyceride over the catalyst surface has been proposed.