Mesoporous Silica Preparation Using Sodium Bicarbonate as Template and Application of the Silica for Hydrocracking of Used Cooking Oil into Biofuel

The hydrocracking of used cooking oil into biofuel over mesoporous silica was systematically studied. This research aims to induce the silica pores using NaHCO₃ and employ the heteropore silica for the hydrocracking process of used cooking oil into biofuel. The mesoporous silica material was synthesized with various ratios of NaHCO₃ and TEOS, and calcined at various temperatures. The highest acidity of mesoporous silica was obtained under the optimized conditions (NaHCO₃/TEOS ratio of 1:2 and calcination temperature of 400 °C). The modification of silica led to decreasing the crystallinity, particle size, and percentage of Si and O, while increasing the pore size of the catalyst. The hydrocracking of used cooking oil over mesoporous silica with catalyst/feed ratio of 1:100 under H₂ gas rate of 20 mL/min for two hours successfully produced the highest proportion of liquid yield.