LAUSR

This report aimed to publish a novel study on thermal and hydrothermal behaviors of ordered mesoporous carbon based catalysts derived from rice husk. Two types of the catalysts used in the study were the ones prepared with and without the silica content in the rice husk, assigned as MRCO and MRCS catalysts, respectively. The catalysts were prepared by condensation-evaporation method where water solvent was slowly and gradually evaporated from the reaction media leaving a gel-like mixture product at the end of the process. The hydrothermal and thermal stabilities of these catalysts were tested based of the stability of their ordered mesoporous structure under heating conditions. The results showed that the MRCO catalyst had lower hydrothermal stability (500 °C), but had higher thermal stability (the (110) peak could stand at 140 °C), compared to the MRCS catalyst (400 °C and the (110) peak could stand at 120 °C, respectively). The catalyst activity was tested in synthesis of biolubricant stock from castor oil at the temperature, time and stirring speed of 130 °C, 6 h and 400 rpm, respectively, and the biolubricant yield reached over 90% with the high purity of the product (no trace of –OH and epoxides). Some major characterizations were applied in this study including XRD and TG-DSC coupled with MS detector for determining the compounds in the gas products.