Abstract
In the present study the synthesis of a palm based ethylhexyl ester was examined through a transesterification reaction of palm oil methyl ester (POME) with 2-ethylhexanol (EH). A sodium methoxide in methanol solution was used as a catalyst. The reaction was carried out at a fixed pressure of 1.5 mbar by varying the temperature (80–140 °C), POME/2EH molar ratio (1:1.5–1:2.2), reaction time (0.5–4 h) and catalyst concentration (1–2% w/w). The reaction with 2-ethylhexanol involved a single step reversible reaction, thus, the reaction was completed in a very short time. The optimum conditions were obtained in less than 30 minutes with 1.5 mbar pressure, 70 °C, and 1:2 molar ratio of POME to 2EH. The analysis of the final product (ethylhexyl ester) was performed using gas chromatography which exhibited 98% of ethyl hexyl ester yield. The gas chromatography analysis of ethyl hexyl ester revealed two major esters peaks i.e. ethyl hexyl palmitate and ethylhexyl oleate.
Highlights
The use of synthetic ester as a lubricant base oil has become a trend in many industries due to its numerous advantages compared to the lubricants from mineral oil (Sánchez et al, 2011)
The need to utilize bio-based resources is of considerable importance due to the high cost and biodegradability issue of petroleum feedstock (Su et al, 2009; García-Zapateiro et al, 2010; Salih et al, 2011).The main factor that has led to synthetic ester being extensively investigated in the past years is a growing interest in reducing impact on the environment (Filippis et al, 1995; Wang and Cao, 2011)
It has been reported that there are a few drawbacks related to chemical synthesis such as the production of side products and high energy consumption (Chen et al, 1999).chemical syntheses are still used widely in the industry because of a faster reaction and production (Uosukainen et al, 1998)
Summary
The use of synthetic ester as a lubricant base oil has become a trend in many industries due to its numerous advantages compared to the lubricants from mineral oil (Sánchez et al, 2011). The production of synthetic ester from vegetable oils is found to be the most successful invention in terms of environmental friendly products because vegetable oil is biodegradable and shows comparable performance as a replacement for mineral oil lubricants (Salimon et al, 2010). Among these synthetic esters, ethyl hexyl ester shows a promising application and comparable performance for many industries. The synthesis of ethyl hexyl ester can be achieved by an enzymatic or chemical catalyzed process. It has been reported that there are a few drawbacks related to chemical synthesis such as the production of side products and high energy consumption (Chen et al, 1999).chemical syntheses are still used widely in the industry because of a faster reaction and production (Uosukainen et al, 1998)
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