Abstract
Two bentonites from Paraíba (Northeastern Brazil) were impregnated with heteropoly phosphomolybdic H3PMo12O40 (HPMo). The materials produced were characterized by various techniques such as N2 adsorption-desorption (specific surface area, SSA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) equipped with Dispersive Energy X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), acid-base titration analysis. The catalytic activity of these materials was tested in the esterification of a waste from palm oil deodorization and the main results obtained (about 93.3% of conversion) indicated that these materials have potential to act as heterogeneous solid acid catalysts. The prepared materials exhibited satisfactory catalytic performance even after a very simple recycling process in three reuse cycles, without significant loss of their activities.
Highlights
Fossil fuels have been the most commonly employed energy sources in the generation of energy coming mainly from crude oil
The deodorization of palm oil (DDPO) is a residue consisting of 84% fatty acids (42% palmitic, 41% oleic, 10% linoleic, 5% Stearic, 1% Lauric and 1% myristic), 12% by weight of triglycerides, diglycerides and monoglycerides and 4% by weight unsaponifiable matter, corresponding to 4% of the product formed in the refining of palm oil [9,39], kindly donated by Companhia Refinadora da Amazônia, Agropalma S/A (Brazil)
The washing process was carried out under the same conditions for the two samples, the variation in the chemical composition showed that the washing was more effective in the BCMW sample, which had a reduction of 18.15% to 15.01% in relation to the Mo, while in BLMW the reduction was insignificant
Summary
Fossil fuels have been the most commonly employed energy sources in the generation of energy coming mainly from crude oil. Due to limited and non-renewable supply of this fuel and the increase in the price of the corresponding diesel fuel, a growing trend in current research has focused on the development of alternative fuels to oil. Biodiesel is an alternative as Materials 2019, 12, 1431; doi:10.3390/ma12091431 www.mdpi.com/journal/materials. Biodiesel is constituted by alkyl esters of fatty acids and produced from transesterification reactions of triglycerides and esterification of free fatty acids (FFA), short chain alcohols in the presence of a catalyst to produce alkyl esters (biodiesel) and glycerol [2]. The advantages of biodiesel include its biodegradability, non-toxic nature and a sulfur-free composition. The cost of feedstock is a major economic factor in the viability of biodiesel production [2,3]. The esterification using conventional homogeneous acid catalysts, such as H2 SO4 , HCl and HNO3 [1,6,7,8,9], provides high conversions into alkyl esters in a short time
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
