Optimization of photocatalytic degradation of biodiesel using TiO2/H2O2 by experimental design

This study reports on the investigation of the photodegradation of biodiesel (B100) in contact with water using TiO2/H2O2. The TiO2 was characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), pH point of zero charge (pHp.) and textural analysis. The results of the experiments were fitted to a quadratic polynomial model develdped using response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize the parameters. Using the three factors, three levels, and the Box-Behnken design of experiment technique, 15 sets of experiments were designed considering the effective ranges of the influential parameters. The responses of those parameters were optimized using computational techniques. After 24 h of irradiation under an Hg vapor lamp, removal of 22.0% of the oils and greases (OG) and a 33.54% reduction in the total of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) concentration was observed in the aqueous phase, as determined using gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detection (GC/FID). The estimate of FAMEs undergo base-catalyzed hydrolysis is at least 3 years (1095 days) and after photocatalytic treatment using TiO2/H2O2, it was reduced to 33.54% of FAMES in only 1 day. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.