Optimization of recovery of silica from sugarcane leaf ash and Ca/SBA-15 solid base for transesterification of Calophyllum inophyllum oil

Highly ordered mesoporous material Santa Barbara acid-15 (SBA-15) was obtained from sugarcane leaf ash, a low cost silica source. It is highly critical today to use an inexpensive and non-toxic silica source for SBA-15 production. The objectives of the this study were to (1) investigate the relationship between the time of sonication (t), amount of sodium hydroxide used (W-R) and temperature (T) maintained using response surface methodology and obtain maximum percentage recovery of silica, (2) to synthesis SBA-15 from recovered silica (water glass), (3) to produce biodiesel from Calophyllum inophyllum oil using methanol as alcohol under heterogeneous catalysis. The catalyst medium was a calcium acetate impregnated silicate mesoporous material called SBA-15. The optimum conditions for maximum recovery of SiO2 (57.99 %) were found to be: reaction temperature-110 A degrees C, NaOH to ash weight ratio-1:3 and sonication reaction time-5 h. The transesterification reaction was conducted with different methanol to oil ratios (3:1, 8:1, 12:1, 16:1, 18:1) at different temperatures such as 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 A degrees C in the presence of heterogeneous catalyst. The maximum yield of 88.77 % at 16:1 alcohol to oil ratio (molar) and 96.82 % at the temperature of 80 A degrees C was obtained.