In summary, the CaO–SiO2 catalysts were prepared through a
biomimetic silicification approach and exploited as novel solid
base catalysts for biodiesel production. Along with the increase
of the amount of Si compounds in the CaO–SiO2 catalysts, the catalytic
activity was gradually decreased, while the reusability was
significantly improved. Particularly, in comparison to the 0Si5Ca
catalyst, the 2Si5Ca catalyst only showed a slightly lower catalytic
activity (biodiesel yield: 80.1% vs. 90.2%), however, little deactivation
could be found after 12 cycles reuse during the transesterification
reaction. Hopefully, the CaO–SiO2 catalyst prepared through this
biomimetic silicification approach will be a promising solid base
catalyst for biodiesel or other fuels/chemicals production.