TY - JOUR AB - Methyl ester produced by esterification of palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) is considered as a non-toxic alternative and biodegradable source of energy. In this work, a polymeric mixed metal oxide with different (Al/(Zn + Al) molar ratio was initially synthesized as a parent mesoporous ZnAl2O4 material. Then, a post-sulfonation treatment was established to prepare a polymeric solid acid SO3H-ZnAl2O4 catalyst with certain sulfonation degree. The physicochemical, structural, textural, thermal stability characteristics of the synthesized mesoporous catalysts were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), surface area analysis (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller equation), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The optimized mesoporous SO3H-ZnAl2O4 catalyst possesses unique properties such as a surface area of 352.39 m(2) g(-1), the average pore diameter of 3.10 nm, a total pore volume of 0.13 cm(3) g(-1), and high acid density up to 1.95 mmol g(-1), simultaneously. The catalytic activity of the synthesized catalyst was further examined through the esterification of PFAD, containing high free fatty acid (FFA around 90%), resulted in PFAD methyl ester yield of 94.65%. The combination of unique textural properties allows the diffusion of reagents easily into inner acid sites. Moreover, the polymeric mesoporous SO3H-ZnAl2O4 catalyst was able to be reused for eight consecutive cycles without substantial losses of activity. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. AD - Univ Putra Malaysia, Inst Adv Technol, Upm Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia AN - WOS:000373062500028 AU - Soltani, S. AU - Rashid, U. AU - Yunus, R. AU - Taufiq-Yap, Y. H. DA - Aug 15 DO - 10.1016/j.fuel.2016.03.059 J2 - Fuel KW - mesoporous structure LA - English N1 - Dh8rb PY - 2016 SN - 0016-2361 SP - 253-262 ST - Biodiesel production in the presence of sulfonated mesoporous ZnAl2O4 catalyst via esterification of palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) T2 - Fuel TI - Biodiesel production in the presence of sulfonated mesoporous ZnAl2O4 catalyst via esterification of palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) UR - ://WOS:000373062500028 VL - 178 ID - 13232 ER -