Development of Zeolite from Locally Sourced Clay for the Cracking of Waste Engine Oil

Authors: Omoruwou, F., Odeh, A.O., Koma, M.O.

DOI Info: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12600371

ABSTRACT

The current global economic realities have necessitated the transformation of used motor oil into valuable hydrocarbons, lowering dependency on virgin resources, fostering a circular economy, and supporting economic sustainability. This research therefore focuses on the production of a catalyst that is sustainable in the re-engineering of waste engine oil. The waste engine oil used was collected locally in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria and the clay used for the production of zeolite was obtained from Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria. The Zeolite was prepared by calcining clay at 900oC. It was then de-aluminated using sulfuric acid. The elemental composition was analysed of the Zeolite with an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) which showed that the prevalent elements were silica and alumina with concentrations of 71.74% and 13.91% respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to determine the catalytic characteristics of the zeolite obtained from neutralized de-aluminated clay. Four compounds identified as the catalyst were orthoclase, quartz, albite, and muscovite, with figures of merit of 1.70, 0.83, 2.18, and 2.81, respectively. The effect of the catalyst load on the rate of conversion was depicted in a plot of the various variations of the catalyst against their respective cracking rates. The result showed that at 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% of catalyst load, the cracking rates were 0.022 min, 0.012 min, 0.108 min, 0.054 min, and 0.106 min, respectively. This paper gave a comprehensive understanding of zeolite synthesis and its effectiveness in the cracking process of used engine oil is presented and discussed.

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