Catalytic Conversion of Beef Tallow to Biofuels using MgO Nanoparticles Green Synthesized by Zingiber officinale Roscoe Rhizome Extract

MgO nanoparticles (MgONPs) have been successfully synthesized using ZOE ( Zingiber officinale Roscoe extract in water) and applied for catalytic conversion of beef tallow to biogasoline, kerosene, and diesel. ZOE was used due to containing the alkaloid as a weak base source to hydrolyze Mg( NO3)(2) precursor and form the MgONPs. The synthesized MgONPs were characterized using UV-Vis spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), particle size analyzer (PSA), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry (DRS), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy ( SEM-EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The catalyst activity was performed to convert beef tallow to biofuel in the stainless-steel reactors at 300 degrees C for 60 min. The conversion results of beef tallow were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The beef tallow conversion shows that all fatty acids derived from beef tallow are converted to gases and liquids fractions. The conversion using a catalyst to feed weight ratio of 4 wt. % produced the liquid fractions containing the dominant alkanes (62.85%) and cyclic compounds (18.77%). Pentadecane and Heptadecane are liquid products' main compounds, indicating a decarboxylation reaction.