Synthesis of biodiesel with silica gel column chromatography catalyzed with immobilized K₂CO₃

The preparation condition of silica gel column chromatography- K₂CO₃ loaded solid-base catalyst was studied.The catalyst was characterized by means of XRD, FT-IR and SEM. The experimental results showed that part of K₂CO₃ generated KHCO₃ due to absorbing CO₂ in the air. K₂CO₃ and KHCO₃ dispersed on the silicon surface could enhance the catalytic activity. At the optimum conditions：catalyst preparation temperature:120℃, amount of catalyst in the fuel oil: 5%, ratio of alcohol to oil: 12∶1, reaction temperature: 70℃and reaction time: 2h, the biodiesel yield could reach up to 95.2%.