Biodiesel production with surface bound ZnO nanostructures Biodiesel production by the transesterification reaction of vegetable oils with alcohols using nanotechnology has been gaining wide interest.  Several metal oxide nanoparticles such as TiO2, ZnO, SnO2, and CaTiO3 have been studied as catalyst for the biodiesel production.  However, it is well known that the functionality of the nanostructures are ultimately determined by their size, shape, orientation, and crystallinity.  For instance, ZnO nanorods have higher optical and electrochemical performances compared to other tested morphologies such as nanoparticles and nanoneedles.  In this talk, I will explain the work performed in our laboratories on the investigation of biodiesel production using surface-bound ZnO nanostructures. Highly uniform, well-aligned, single crystalline, and uniform arrays of ZnO nanostructures have been grown on variety of surfaces in our laboratories including fabrics, plastics, and non-woven mats. Utilization of supported metal oxide catalysts in the transesterification reaction will enable easy catalyst recycling. The performances of various morphologies of ZnO nanostructures including rods and needles will be compared in terms of conversion efficiency to provide better understanding of the structure-property relationship for the enhancement of functional performance of these materials.

Biodiesel production using surface-bound ZnO nanowires

246th National Meeting (2013)

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