Effects of Fly Ash Nano Particles on the Specific Heat Capacity of Transesterified Neem Oil

Abstract

The impact of fly ash nanoparticles on the specific heat capacity of transesterified neem oil was explored in this study. The physical and chemical properties of the catalyst were examined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) characterizations, respectively. Crude neem oil underwent transesterification, with varying concentrations of fly ash (0.1 wt%, 0.2 wt%, 0.3 wt%, 0.4 wt%, and 0.5 wt%) serving as heterogeneous catalysts. The specific heat capacity (SHM) of transesterified neem oil with these different catalyst concentrations was determined. SEM analysis revealed dispersed particles with irregular structures, while the chemical composition analysis of fly ash indicated a predominance of SiO2 at 73.23%. The results of specific heat capacity indicated that the sample containing 0.2 wt% fly ash end to be the best sample among the samples.