<![CDATA[This study investigated the effect of acidic pH variations (pH 1, 3, and 6) on the synthesis of mesoporous silica as a support for Ni-Cu catalysts in the hydrocracking of waste cooking oil (WCO) into biofuel. The synthesis was conducted via reflux method using CTAB and Pluronic P123 as templates, followed by impregnation with 5% Ni-Cu metals at a 3:1 ratio. Gas sorption analysis (GSA) revealed that catalyst synthesized at pH 6 (K-6) achieved the highest surface area (413.44 m2/g) and total acidity (7.63 mmol/g). X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed amorphous silica structures with metallic Ni and Cu phases, while Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy verified Brønsted and Lewis acid sites. Hydrocracking at catalyst temperature and 500°C feed temperature (1:100 catalyst-to-feed ratio) was evaluated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Catalyst K-6 demonstrated superior catalytic performance with 98.87% total conversion activity and 78.99% selectivity toward biofuel fraction. These findings highlight the significant potential of pH-optimized Ni-Cu/mesoporous silica catalysts for sustainable biofuel production from WCO. ]]>
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