Optimization and kinetics analysis of biodiesel production from Annona reticulata seed oil using magnesium phosphate catalyst

Due to the exhaustion of fossil fuels and increasing demand for energy, it is necessary to identify renewable energy feedstock sources to substitute for fossil fuels. This is a challenging task for researchers. The 2nd generation Annona reticulata seed oil (ARO) can be considered as one of the substitute feedstocks for biodiesel production that is affordable and not competing with food sources. In the present study, magnesium phosphate (Mg 3 O 8 P 2 ) is used as a novel catalyst to produce biodiesel from new feedstock Annona reticulata oil. The maximum Annona reticulata methyl ester/FAME yield of 97.4% was obtained under optimal conditions of 3.5 wt% Mg 3 O 8 P 2 loading, 11:1 methanol to oil molar ratio, and an 60 min reaction time at 60 °C temperature. The activation energy (Ea) and frequency factor (A) were found to be 43.50 kJ/mol, 1.8 × 10 5 min −1 , respectively. Further, the enthalpy and entropy of the activation process was determined to be 41.15 kJ/mol and − 151.99 J/mol, respectively. The fatty acid composition of oil was determined employing gas chromatography (GC). The produced biodiesel was characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The fuel qualities of the biodiesel were evaluated as per the ASTM 6751 standard. Results showed that ARO can be utilized as a promising feedstock for biodiesel production since it meets most of the physico-chemical properties according to the ASTM 6751 standards.