DOI: https://doi.org/10.55373/mjchem.v24i2.59

Keywords: Photocatalyst; fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO); free radical; glycerol conversion; propanol

Abstract

Glycerol is the major by-product of biodiesel produced by the transesterification process. It is abundantly produced, and thus has a low market price although it requires high-cost purification processes and can cause environmental problems. Because of this, efficient utilization of glycerol is necessary to avoid oversupply. In this preliminary study, the photocatalytic conversion of glycerol to propanol using fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) is proposed for the first time. This method produces propanol with high selectivity under optimal reaction conditions. For the identification of the conversion product, the surface morphology, composition, reaction yield, and physicochemical state of the prepared photocatalyst were comprehensively characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). An optimum glycerol conversion of 86 % and a high propanol selectivity of 100 % was achieved under 80 W of UV light and 90 minutes of reaction time using 10 wt% glycerol solution. The FTO photocatalyst proved very dynamic as various products may be formed under different reaction conditions by optimizing parameters such as reaction time, light, and glycerol concentration.