Rice husk ash as an adsorbent for purifying biodiesel from waste frying oil

The goal of this work is to study the purification of biodiesel from waste frying oil (WFO) using rice husk ash (RHA) at concentrations of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% (w/w) and compare it with two other different purification methods, the traditional acid solution (1% aqueous H₃PO₄) and with the commercial adsorbent Magnesol® 1% (w/w). The structure and composition of the RHA were studied to better understand its properties as an adsorbent. In a concentration of 4%, the RHA showed excellent results for removal impurities from biodiesel. The high concentration of silica in its composition and the presence of meso and macropores can explain its high capacity of adsorption. Thus, the RHA, that is a byproduct of the rice processing, can appear as an alternative material for biodiesel purification.