Utilizing robust heterogeneous catalysts to efficiently produce biodiesel from low-cost non-food oil is very important for replacing fossil energy to meet globally increasing energy demands and accelerate realization of carbon neutrality. In this study, a novel Lewis (L)-Brønsted (B) bifunctional catalytic material 30%Sn-MMT-SO₃H was conveniently fabricated by ion-exchange and sulfonation using widely-sourced and biocompatible montmorillonite (MMT) as a matrix, which was successfully applied in direct conversion of Jatropha curcas oil (JCO) into biodiesel. Systematical characterization techniques showed that 30%Sn-MMT-SO₃H presented a layered nanostructure along with a high specific surface area (145.32 m²/g), rich mesopores (5.8 nm), strong acidic intensity (1.801 mmol g⁻¹), abundant accessible active sites, and outstanding chemical and thermal stability. Additionally, the single-factor method and response surface methodology (RSM) were employed to investigate optimal reaction conditions. Accordingly, the maximum biodiesel yield (93.1%) was achieved under conditions of 7 wt% catalyst dosage, 20.2 methanol/oil molar ratio at 150 °C for 7.5 h, and no significant decrease was observed after five cycles. Importantly, kinetic and thermodynamic behaviors together with possible reaction mechanisms were also determined. Compared with other reported catalysts, 30%Sn-MMT-SO₃H exhibited satisfactory activity and reusability, showing promising prospects in industrialization of biodiesel mediated by heterogeneous acid catalysts.

利用强大的多相催化剂从低成本非食用油中高效生产生物柴油对于替代化石能源以满足全球日益增长的能源需求并加速实现碳中和非常重要。本研究以来源广泛且具有生物相容性的蒙脱石（MMT）为基质，通过离子交换和磺化，方便地制备了一种新型Lewis（L）-Brønsted（B）双功能催化材料30%Sn-MMT-SO 3 H _，已成功应用于麻风树油（JCO）直接转化为生物柴油。系统表征技术表明，30%Sn-MMT-SO ₃ H呈现出层状纳米结构以及高比表面积（145.32 m ²/g）、丰富的介孔（5.8 nm）、强酸性强度（1.801 mmol g ^-1 ）、丰富的活性位点以及出色的化学和热稳定性。此外，还采用单因素法和响应面法（RSM）来研究最佳反应条件。因此，在催化剂用量7 wt%、甲醇/油摩尔比20.2、150 ℃、7.5 h的条件下，生物柴油收率达到最大（93.1%），并且在5个循环后没有观察到明显下降。重要的是，还确定了动力学和热力学行为以及可能的反应机制。与其他报道的催化剂相比,30%Sn-MMT-SO ₃H表现出令人满意的活性和可重复使用性，在非均相酸催化剂介导的生物柴油工业化中显示出广阔的前景。