Highly potent novel SnS2/Zeolite (SFAZ) photocatalyst: An eco-friendly and sustainable strategy for producing biodiesel

Recently, many efforts have been undertaken to advance the development of sustainable biofuel production by transesterifying various oil feedstocks with methanol. In an attempt to contribute in this vein, the current research highlights the synthesis of a novel SnS2/Zeolite (SFAZ) composite photocatalyst for sustainable biodiesel production from soyabean oil through photocatalytic transesterification reaction under visible light irradiation. The reaction parameters influencing the biodiesel yield were optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), and almost complete conversion (99.78 %) of soyabean oil into methyl esters was accomplished at a photocatalyst loading of 3 wt%, methanol-to-oil ratio of 14:1 within 60 min of visible light irradiation at 338 K. The photocatalytic transesterification reaction followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the activation energy needed to initiate the transesterification reaction was 28.29 kJ/mol, much lower than other catalysts. The excitation of electrons and the production of holes were required to initiate the transesterification reaction suggested by the scavenger tests, and the photocatalytic mechanism was proposed. The prepared SFAZ composite showed excellent stability and reusability of 80.46 ± 1.13 % in the fifth run. Thus, the current research provides useful insights into sustainable biodiesel production through photocatalytic transesterification reactions under visible light.