Produksi Biodiesel dari Minyak Curah Sawit Menggunakan Katalis Heterogen Berbasis Tongkol Jagung

Abstract

Penelitian ini memanfaatkan limbah tongkol jagung sebagai katalis heterogen berbasis biomassa untuk produksi biodiesel dari minyak curah sawit, sebagai upaya pengembangan energi alternatif ramah lingkungan. Katalis dibuat dari serbuk tongkol jagung yang diimpregnasi K2CO3 20 wt%, dan dikalsinasi pada suhu 500, 600, dan 700 °C selama 2 jam. Biodiesel diproduksi melalui transesterifikasi dengan rasio molar metanol:minyak 9:1, kecepatan pengadukan 600 rpm, waktu reaksi 90 menit, pada suhu reaksi 55, 60, dan 65 °C. Karakterisasi katalis menggunakan FTIR, BET, XRD, dan SEM-EDX. Hasil menunjukkan suhu kalsinasi dan suhu reaksi berpengaruh terhadap karakteristik katalis dan rendemen biodiesel, dengan kondisi terbaik pada suhu kalsinasi 700 °C dan suhu reaksi 65 °C, menghasilkan rendemen 79,10% yang mendekati standar mutu biodiesel. Penelitian ini sekaligus meningkatkan nilai ekonomis limbah biomassa pertanian.

This study utilized corn cob waste as a biomass-based heterogeneous catalyst for biodiesel production from crude palm oil, as part of an effort to develop environmentally friendly alternative energy. The catalyst was prepared from corn cob powder impregnated with 20 wt% K2CO3, followed by calcination at temperatures of 500, 600, and 700 °C for 2 hours. Biodiesel was produced through a transesterification reaction using a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 9:1, a stirring speed of 600 rpm, and a reaction time of 90 minutes, at reaction temperatures of 55, 60, and 65 °C. The catalyst was characterized using FTIR, BET, XRD, and SEM-EDX. The results showed that both calcination temperature and reaction temperature significantly affected the catalyst characteristics and biodiesel yield. The optimum condition was obtained at a calcination temperature of 700 °C and a reaction temperature of 65 °C, yielding a biodiesel conversion of 79.10%, which closely approached the biodiesel quality standard. This study also contributed to enhancing the economic value of agricultural biomass waste.