Zeolite Impregnated with Ag as Catalysts for Glycerol Conversion to Ethanol Assisted by Ultrasonic

The objectives of this study are to investigate the effectiveness of activated zeolite with and without impregnated Ag on the conversion of glycerol to ethanol. Zeolite catalyst used in this study was synthesized zeolite from silica extracted from local sand and glycerol conversion using zeolite with and without impregnated Ag done at various temperatures of sonication. Product conversion analyzed using Gas Chromatography. The results showed that the impregnation of g on the activated zeolite catalyst increase the acidity from 0.0774 to 3.6253 mmol/g. The surface area slightly decreases from 1339 becomes 1279 m²/g. The process of converting glycerol to ethanol, the use of ultrasonic waves increases the effectiveness of glycerol conversion. The higher the sonication temperature, the greater ethanol produced. The highest ethanol product with a yield of 13.6% was obtained at a sonication temperature of 60 °C when the active Ag/zeolite catalyst was used. The use of Ag/zeolite catalyst makes glycerol conversion can be carried out at relatively low temperatures and ambient pressures so that it has more promising future prospects.