DOI: https://doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.20531

NaHCO₃-Assisted Synthesis of Ni-Promoted Sulfated Mesoporous Silica for the Hydrocracking of Used Cooking Oil into Biogasoline

1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia

2Research Center for Hydrodynamics Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), The B. J. Habibie Science and Technology Area, South Tangerang, Banten 15314, Indonesia

3Research Center for Catalysis, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), The B. J. Habibie Science and Technology Area, South Tangerang, Banten 15314, Indonesia

4 Research Center for Molecular Chemistry, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), The B. J. Habibie Science and Technology Area, South Tangerang, Banten 15314, Indonesia

5 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan 20155, Indonesia

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Received: 9 Nov 2025; Revised: 25 Dec 2025; Accepted: 26 Dec 2025; Available online: 28 Dec 2025; Published: 30 Apr 2026.
Editor(s): Bunjerd Jongsomjit
Open Access Copyright (c) 2026 by Authors, Published by BCREC Publishing Group
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Abstract

Biofuel production from biomass sources remains a key area of research, aimed at reducing reliance on fossil fuels and promoting environmental sustainability. This study investigates the conversion of used cooking oil (UCO) into biogasoline via catalytic hydrocracking, employing sulfated mesoporous silica dispersed with nickel as the catalyst. Mesoporous silica was synthesized using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and NaHCO₃ as the template, followed by a hydrothermal method to introduce sulfate groups and nickel metal. Among the synthesized catalysts, SMS-2 exhibited the highest acidity across varying sulfuric acid concentrations, while 1 Ni/SMS-2 demonstrated superior acidity compared to other nickel loadings. The SiO₂, SMS-2, and 1 Ni/SMS-2 catalysts were evaluated for UCO hydrocracking in a semi-batch double-furnace reactor operated at an optimum temperature of 550 °C for 2 h, with a hydrogen flow rate of 20 mL min⁻¹ under atmospheric pressure. Modifying mesoporous silica with sulfuric acid and nickel significantly enhanced its catalytic performance, with the 1 Ni/SMS-2 catalyst achieving the highest liquid product yield (66.10%) and gasoline fraction (35.47%) at an optimum catalyst-to-feed ratio of 1:100 (w/w). Notably, the resulting biogasoline exhibited a calorific value comparable to commercial gasoline and was free of aromatic hydrocarbons, indicating the potential for cleaner combustion. This study provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of mesoporous silica-based catalysts, highlighting their acid site modulation capabilities for efficiently transforming waste into high-value fuels. Copyright © 2026 by Authors, Published by BCREC Publishing Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Keywords: Biofuel production; catalytic hydrocracking; mesoporous silica; nickel; renewable energy.
Funding: Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education Agency (LPDP) under contract B-1241/II.7.5/FR.00.03/2/2025

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Section: Original Research Articles
Language : EN
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