Glycerol and ascorbic acid-assisted synthesis of α-MoO3 nanoparticles as an efficient catalyst for biodiesel production

Abstract This work exhibits a novel method for synthesizing α-MoO₃ nanoparticles (NPs) using a convenient recipe that utilizes glycerol and ascorbic acid as polymerizing and green complexing agents. Different analytical techniques, including XRD, FT-IR, TGA, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), were employed to identify the as-prepared α-MoO₃ NPs, and it was used as a catalyst in biodiesel production. Moreover, the TPD experiment was performed to determine the catalyst's acidity strength. The α-MoO₃ exhibited high efficiency in producing biodiesel from oleic acid and ethyl alcohol as an oil source and alcohol, respectively. The design of experiments and optimization process were also performed using response surface methodology (RSM) to attain the optimal condition. The influences of several parameters, such as catalyst dosage, reaction time, medium temperature, and alcohol to fatty acid (in molar ratio), were studied. The results demonstrate that at the optimal operating variables of 75°C, 50 min of reaction time, a 30:1 molar ratio of alcohol to oleic acid, and 0.007 g of catalyst, the yield of biodiesel production can approach 85%. Moreover, the obtained results indicated that the catalyst can be efficiently recovered and reused four times without significant loss in its activity.