Waste-derived mesoporous catalysts for biodiesel production: Advances in tungstated and zirconia-based systems
Sustainable Chemistry One World, cilt.11, 2026 (Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Derleme
- Cilt numarası: 11
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.scowo.2026.100265
- Dergi Adı: Sustainable Chemistry One World
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Biodiesel Production, Circular Economy and Waste Valorization, Mesoporous Silica (SBA-15), Tungstated Zirconia (WOₓ/ZrO₂), Waste-Derived Catalysts
- Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The growing demand for sustainable energy and the environmental limitations associated with fossil fuels have intensified interest in biodiesel as a renewable and environmentally benign alternative fuel. However, the economic viability and sustainability of biodiesel production depend largely on the development of efficient, reusable, and low-cost catalysts capable of processing low-quality and waste-derived feedstocks. In this context, waste-derived mesoporous catalysts have emerged as promising materials that integrate high catalytic performance with principles of circular economy and resource valorization. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of recent advances in heterogeneous catalysts derived from agricultural residues, industrial by-products, and biomass wastes, with particular emphasis on tungstated zirconia (WOₓ/ZrO₂) and zirconia-based systems supported on mesoporous silica materials such as SBA-15, MCM-41, and KIT-6. This review critically evaluates recent advances in waste-derived mesoporous silica-supported zirconia and tungstated zirconia catalysts for biodiesel production, emphasizing catalyst synthesis, physicochemical properties, catalytic performance, industrial feasibility, and future development. Comparative analysis of recent studies shows that WOₓ/ZrO₂-based mesoporous catalysts can achieve fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yields exceeding 95–96% from high-free-fatty-acid feedstocks while maintaining high catalytic activity over 5–10 consecutive reaction cycles with minimal tungsten leaching. The use of rice husk ash as a sustainable silica precursor has also been reported to reduce the production cost of SBA-15 supports by approximately 85% compared with conventional TEOS-derived silica, while simultaneously lowering the environmental footprint through waste valorization. The review further identifies the relationships between catalyst structure, acidity, pore architecture, and catalytic performance, discusses catalyst stability, techno-economic feasibility, life-cycle assessment, industrial scale-up, and artificial intelligence-assisted catalyst design, and highlights the remaining challenges that must be addressed before large-scale commercialization of waste-derived mesoporous catalysts for sustainable biodiesel production.