Deep Control of Linear Oligomerization of Glycerol Using Lanthanum Catalyst on Mesoporous Silica Gel

The valorization of glycerol (1), a waste of biodiesel production of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMEs), adopting a “green” approach, represents an important goal of sustainable chemistry. While the polymerization of 1 to hyperbranched oligomers is a well-established process, the linear analogues are difficult to obtain. In this context, we explore the reaction without the solvent of heterogeneous hybrid La(III)O-KIT-6 catalyst (2), which is based on lanthanum oxide on mesoporous silica gel, showing a superior linear selectivity compared to most of the analogous catalysts recently reported.

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Biodiesel production using co-solvents: a review

Research Society and Development ◽

10.33448/rsd-v9i1.1672 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. e99911672

Author(s):

George Simonelli ◽

José Mario Ferreira Júnior ◽

Carlos Augusto de Moraes Pires ◽

Luiz Carlos Lobato dos Santos

Keyword(s):

Potassium Hydroxide ◽

Fatty Acid Methyl Esters ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Methyl Esters ◽

Biodiesel Production ◽

Molar Ratio ◽

Review Of The Literature ◽

Transfer Resistance ◽

Acid Methyl ◽

High Yields

Biodiesel is a renewable and biodegradable biofuel, generally produced by the fatty materials transesterification. Due to its importance in the diversification of the energy matrix of countries, various studies have been carried out to improve its production process. One of the technologies developed is the use of co-solvents in the process. The co-solvents decrease the mass transfer resistance between the oil and the alcohol during the chemical reaction. In this paper, a review of the literature on the biodiesel production using co-solvents was presented. The research gathered information about various studies that are relevant to the theme, aiming to show the state of the art, the substances most used as co-solvents, and the conditions of the process variables that result in high yields of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). In the homogeneous basic catalysis of vegetable oils, potassium hydroxide is the most used catalyst. Its range of application normally varies from 0.5% to 1.8% in relation to the mass of oil. The reaction time may vary from 10 minutes to 2 hours, the temperature from 25 °C to 100 °C, the molar ratio (MR), from 3:1 to 12:1, and the amount of 30% (w/w) co-solvent, or in some cases up to 0.7:1 co-solvent to alcohol molar ratio.

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Trends in Widely Used Catalysts for Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) Production: A Review

Catalysts ◽

10.3390/catal11091085 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 1085

Author(s):

Shafaq Nisar ◽

Muhammad Asif Hanif ◽

Umer Rashid ◽

Asma Hanif ◽

Muhammad Nadeem Akhtar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acid ◽

Large Scale ◽

Heterogeneous Catalysts ◽

Fatty Acid Methyl Esters ◽

Low Cost ◽

Methyl Esters ◽

Acid Catalyst ◽

Product Formation ◽

Biodiesel Production ◽

Acid Methyl

The effective transesterification process to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) requires the use of low-cost, less corrosive, environmentally friendly and effective catalysts. Currently, worldwide biodiesel production revolves around the use of alkaline and acidic catalysts employed in heterogeneous and homogeneous phases. Homogeneous catalysts (soluble catalysts) for FAME production have been widespread for a while, but solid catalysts (heterogeneous catalysts) are a newer development for FAME production. The rate of reaction is much increased when homogeneous basic catalysts are used, but the main drawback is the cost of the process which arises due to the separation of catalysts from the reaction media after product formation. A promising field for catalytic biodiesel production is the use of heteropoly acids (HPAs) and polyoxometalate compounds. The flexibility of their structures and super acidic properties can be enhanced by incorporation of polyoxometalate anions into the complex proton acids. This pseudo liquid phase makes it possible for nearly all mobile protons to take part in the catalysis process. Carbonaceous materials which are obtained after sulfonation show promising catalytic activity towards the transesterification process. Another promising heterogeneous acid catalyst used for FAME production is vanadium phosphate. Furthermore, biocatalysts are receiving attention for large-scale FAME production in which lipase is the most common one used successfully This review critically describes the most important homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts used in the current FAME production, with future directions for their use.

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