Use of Dolomite Catalyst in Biodiesel Production via Transesterification of Waste Cooking in Oscillatory Baffled Reactor

Biodiesel has lately gained popularity due to its environmental issues and the fact that it is generated from renewable resources. However, the cost of synthesis of biodiesel is the major impediment toward commercialization. The utilization of leftover cooking oils as raw material, the adaptation of a continuous transesterification process, and the use of cheap catalysts are the major possibilities for investigation the cost of biodiesel. In this work, a dolomite catalyst was prepared from natural dolomite rocks and used for the evaluation of continuous transesterification of biodiesel from waste cooking oil (WCO). The dolomite catalyst was prepared by activation under vacuum at a surface area of 34.5 m2/g. The characterization tests showed good thermal stability of the catalyst and evolution of the CaO and MgO compounds at high concentrations. A kinetic study was conducted to obtain kinetic parameters of catalytic transesterification of the WCO.

High temperature transesterification of soybean oil with methanol using manganese carbonate as catalyst

The manganese carbonate catalyst, prepared by precipitation method, was used in transesterification of soybean oil under subcritical condition of methanol. Catalyst samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The triacylglycerol (TAG) conversion and fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) yield were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The transesterification was realized for 1 h using various working conditions: 0-3 wt.% of catalyst (based on the mass of oil), the mole ratio of methanol to oil from 13:1 to 27:1 and temperature ranging from 393 to 473 K. A maximum TAG conversion of 98.1% could be obtained at the optimal reaction conditions: 2 wt.% of catalyst, methanol/oil mole ratio of 21:1, for 1 h in a batch reactor at 453 K. Kinetic analysis showed that the model based on mass transfer and chemical reaction at the catalyst surface confirmed the experimental data. Using that kinetic expression, the effect of continuous transesterification was proposed and verified by a 360-h long realized experiment in a laboratory packed-bed reactor (PBR). Slow deactivation of the catalyst was caused by leaching of Mn in both biodiesel and glycerol phases and by blocking the active sites of the catalyst with organic compounds.

Continuous Transesterification for Ethyl Ester Production from Refined Palm Oil through Static Mixer

In this study, the commercial grade of ethanol was used to produce the biodiesel from refined palm oil (RPO) through the continuous static mixer system. The ethanol, an alternative alcohol to adopt in the ethyl ester production, can be used instead of methanol, and this alcohol is more eco-friendly than methanol. The 6-meter in length of SUS304 static mixer reactor is an essential part of mixing the RPO and solution of ethanol and potassium hydroxide to accelerate the base-catalyzed transesterification. The ethanol were varied at the volumetric flow rate of 30, 40, 50, 60 vol.%, KOH as base-catalyst was varied with the weight to volume of oil of 10,12,14 gKOH.L-1, to investigate the suitable condition which can converted the glycerides to the maximum purity of ethyl ester. The results showed that all varied conditions, the ethyl ester conversion was rapidly increased from 0 to over 95 wt.% when the flowing mixtures flowed through the 1 meter of static mixer. Furthermore, the highest purity of ethyl ester from RPO was succeeded when the condition: the 60 vol.% ethanol, the 14 gKOH.L-1of catalyst, 5-meter of static mixer, and 75 oC temperature of RPO, was used in the continuous static mixer.