Biofuel Conversion from Waste Cooking Oil Using Ni-Cu Catalysts Supported on Mesoporous Silica Synthesized via Acidic CTAB-P123 Templating

Ahmad Suseno; Kumala Nadiah Sholika; Yayuk Astuti

doi:10.9767/bcrec.20842

DOI: https://doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.20842

Biofuel Conversion from Waste Cooking Oil Using Ni-Cu Catalysts Supported on Mesoporous Silica Synthesized via Acidic CTAB-P123 Templating

Ahmad Suseno

, Kumala Nadiah Sholika, Yayuk Astuti

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Mathematics, Universitas Diponegoro, Indonesia

Received: 7 Sep 2026; Revised: 28 Oct 2026; Accepted: 29 Oct 2026; Available online: 9 Nov 2026; Published: 30 Apr 2027.

Editor(s): Istadi Istadi

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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@article{BCREC20842,
    author = {Ahmad Suseno and Kumala Nadiah Sholika and Yayuk Astuti},
    title = {Biofuel Conversion from Waste Cooking Oil Using Ni-Cu Catalysts Supported on Mesoporous Silica Synthesized via Acidic CTAB-P123 Templating},
    journal = {Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis},
  volume = {22},
    number = {1},
    year = {2027},
    keywords = {biofuel; catalyst; hydrocracking; mesoporous silica},
    abstract = { This study investigated the effect of acidic synthesis pH (pH of 1, 3, and 6) on the preparation of mesoporous silica supports for Ni-Cu catalysts used in the hydrocracking of waste cooking oil (WCO) into biofuel. The silica supports were synthesized using a reflux method with CTAB and Pluronic P123 as dual templates, followed by impregnation with 5% Ni-Cu metals at a molar ratio of 3:1. Gas sorption analysis (GSA) revealed that the catalyst synthesized at pH of 6 (K-6) exhibited the highest specific surface area (413.44 m²/g) and apparent gravimetric ammonia uptake (7.63 mmol/g). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the amorphous structure of the silica support and the presence of metallic Ni and Cu phases, while Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy identified characteristic surface hydroxyl and Si-O-Si vibrational bands. Hydrocracking was conducted at a catalyst temperature of 450 °C and a feed vaporization temperature of 500 °C, using a catalyst-to-feed mass ratio of 1:100. Product composition was evaluated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). All three catalysts achieved 100% total conversion, with K-6 exhibiting the highest selectivity toward the biofuel fraction (78.99%). These findings highlight the potential of pH-controlled Ni-Cu/mesoporous silica catalysts for biofuel production from WCO and demonstrate the relationship between catalyst textural properties and biofuel selectivity under the investigated reaction conditions. Copyright © 2027 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 ). },
   issn = {1978-2993},   pages = {42--54}  doi = {10.9767/bcrec.20842},
    url = {https://journal.bcrec.id/index.php/bcrec/article/view/20842}
}

Citation Format:

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of acidic synthesis pH (pH of 1, 3, and 6) on the preparation of mesoporous silica supports for Ni-Cu catalysts used in the hydrocracking of waste cooking oil (WCO) into biofuel. The silica supports were synthesized using a reflux method with CTAB and Pluronic P123 as dual templates, followed by impregnation with 5% Ni-Cu metals at a molar ratio of 3:1. Gas sorption analysis (GSA) revealed that the catalyst synthesized at pH of 6 (K-6) exhibited the highest specific surface area (413.44 m²/g) and apparent gravimetric ammonia uptake (7.63 mmol/g). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the amorphous structure of the silica support and the presence of metallic Ni and Cu phases, while Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy identified characteristic surface hydroxyl and Si-O-Si vibrational bands. Hydrocracking was conducted at a catalyst temperature of 450 °C and a feed vaporization temperature of 500 °C, using a catalyst-to-feed mass ratio of 1:100. Product composition was evaluated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). All three catalysts achieved 100% total conversion, with K-6 exhibiting the highest selectivity toward the biofuel fraction (78.99%). These findings highlight the potential of pH-controlled Ni-Cu/mesoporous silica catalysts for biofuel production from WCO and demonstrate the relationship between catalyst textural properties and biofuel selectivity under the investigated reaction conditions. Copyright © 2027 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; catalyst; hydrocracking; mesoporous silica

Funding: Diponegoro University under contract 30.E/UN7.F8/PP/II/2026

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Section: Original Research Articles

Language : EN

In 2027: BCREC Volume 22 Issue 1 Year 2027 (April 2027) (Issue in Progress)

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