A Waste-to-Fuel Approach: Utilizing Parkia Speciosa Peel Extract for Green Synthesis of ZnO Nanocatalyst

Biodiesel can be made by a transesterification reaction using a ZnO catalyst. This research aims to synthesize and characterize the ZnO catalyst and test its activity in producing biodiesel from waste cooking oil. ZnO was synthesized by the one-pot phytosynthesis method by adding petai peel (Parkia speciosa Hassk). ZnO catalyst size 42.9 nm. The resulting surface area and pore size are 7.629 m2/g and 1.693 nm, respectively. The particle size and constituent components of the ZnO catalyst are 93.21 nm with 82.3% (Zn) and 17.7% (O). FTIR spectra confirmed the formation of metal-oxide stretching at wave number 511 cm-1 and the basicity value of 0.6236 mmol/g. The results of ZnO catalyst activity, with a 5% catalyst concentration, a methanol: oil ratio of 6:1, a temperature of 65°C, and a reaction time of 3 hours, yielded a biodiesel production rate of 81.89%. The quality of ZnO biodiesel parameters of density, acid number, and viscosity have met the requirements of SNI 7182: 2015.