Transesterification For Biodiesel Production Research Articles

Metal loading on CaO/Al2O3 pellet catalyst as a booster for transesterification in biodiesel production

Metal loading on CaO/Al2O3 pellet catalyst as a booster for transesterification in biodiesel production

A Green Heterogeneous Catalyst Production and Characterization for Biodiesel Production using RSM and ANN Approach

In this work, naturally available moringa oleifera leaves (also known as horseradish trees or drumstick trees) are chosen as a heterogeneous catalyst in the transesterification for biodiesel production from palm oil. The dry moringa oleifera leaves are calcinated at 700 °C for 3 hours to improve their adsorbing property. The calcinated catalyst characterization analysis from XRD and EDX highlights the presence of calcium, potassium, and other elements. Response surface method (RSM) optimization and artificial neural network (ANN) modeling were carried out to elucidate the interaction effect of significant process variables on biodiesel yield. The results show that a maximum biodiesel yield of 92.82% was achieved at optimum conditions of catalyst usage (9 wt.%), molar ratio, methanol to triglyceride (7:1), temperature (50 °C) and reaction time (120 min). The catalyst usage (wt.%) was identified as a significant process variable, followed by the molar ratio. Furthermore, the biodiesel’s significant fuel properties in terms of thermal, physical, chemical, and elemental match the established standards of ASTM. Finally, when the catalyst was reused for five cycles, more than 50% of the biodiesel yield was achieved.

Prospective life cycle assessment of a based orange wax fungicide

The fungicide formulation has been identified as an alternative to revalorize the wax waste generated in producing orange (Citrus sinensis L.) essential oils. This study is to identify opportunity areas in the scaling up of the fungicide production process through a prospective life cycle assessment. Data from lab experiments were scaled up to a pilot plant considering as functional unit “the production of 1 m3 of fungicide”. The orange waste wax (OWW) dilution and the fungicide formulation were considered the main stages of the studied process; two management scenarios for insoluble wax were considered: the disposal in landfills and the transesterification for biodiesel production. The calculation of potential environmental impacts was performed using the software OpenLCA v.1.10.3 considering the database ELCD v. 4.2. and the method CML (baseline). The obtained results show that the extraction medium of the active ingredients, the fungicide package, and energy contributed the most to the potential environmental impacts of the fungicide production process. Improving these elements allow to reduce the potential environmental impacts around 3%, 24%, and 86%, respectively. Moreover, the transesterification of insoluble wax produced few benefits to the global process since the current biodiesel yield is low. It is concluded that from an environmental viewpoint, fungicide production is a feasible alternative for the OWW revalorization.

State‐of‐the‐Art of the Synthesis and Applications of Sulfonated Carbon‐Based Catalysts for Biodiesel Production: a Review

Sulfonated carbon‐based catalysts (SCC) are favorable heterogeneous acids for acid‐catalyzed reactions including esterification and transesterification for biodiesel production. They are covalently functionalized with SO3H groups via CPhSO3H or CSO3H linkages with special carbon structures. To date, the types of SCC for biodiesel production ranges from biochar (BC), activated carbon (AC), graphene, graphite oxides, multiwalled carbon nanotubes, order mesoporous carbon, and graphitic carbon nitride. Lignocellulosic and biomass wastes are important carbon precursors for low‐cost BC and AC production. This review critically reviews and summarizes the most up‐to‐date research progress in the evolution of SCC for biodiesel production. Systematic discussions and comparisons on the different carbon materials, preparation methods, and sulfonation preparation parameters which directly affect the physicochemical attributes and catalytic performance are provided. The applications and reusability studies of these materials in biodiesel production are also included. Finally, the challenges to be addressed and future prospects of the research direction on the applications of SCC for biodiesel production are discussed.

Utilization of Waste Clam Shell as Cost-Effective Catalyst for Heterogeneous Biodiesel Production

In this work, a cost-effective and environmental catalyst derived from waste clam shell was prepared and investigated in transesterification for biodiesel production. Waste clam shell was treated by acid soaking and then muffles calcinating. The reaction process was conduct in presence of rapeseed oil and methanol using clam shell as catalyst at 65 °C. Using control variable method to investigate the effects of reaction factors including calcination temperature, molar ration of methanol to rapeseed oil, catalyst amounts, reaction time. The result shows that the as-prepared CaO had great performance in the solid base catalytic production of biodiesel. The physical features of the as-prepared CaO derived from clam shell were characterized by using FT-IR, CO2-TPD, XRD, SEM and BET techniques.

Role of oxygen defects in basicity of Se doped ZnO nanocatalyst for enhanced triglyceride transesterification in biodiesel production

We report herein, Se doped ZnO nanorods, a new heterogeneous base catalyst for transesterification of vegetable oil to fatty methyl esters (FAME) or biodiesel. Surface area defects, mainly oxygen interstitials and oxygen vacancies, in the crystal lattice play essential role in enhancing basic site reactivity. The optimum transesterification reaction condition was found to be usage of 1:20 oil to methanol volume ratio, 5 wt.% catalyst load, 65 °C as reaction temperature to give a maximum yield of 94.7% FAME in 3 h. The nanocatalyst was recyclable without loss of FAME yield and can be used for industrial scale biodiesel production.

Investigation into influences of methanol pre-adsorption on CaO(100) surface in transesterification for biodiesel production with molecular simulation

The influences of methanol pre-adsorption on the CaO(100) surface in transesterification is investigated by the density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The model for methanol, methyl acetate and the CaO(001) surfaces are constructed and the adsorption position and adsorption form of methanol and methyl acetate on the CaO surface are considered. The adsorption energy during adsorption are calculated, where the partial density of states (PDOS), Mulliken atomic charge populations and deformation density of methanol and methyl acetate are discussed under the methanol pre-adsorption conditions. The results show that the pre-adsorption of methanol on the CaO(001) surface can enhance the activation effect of methanol and methyl acetate, where the transesterification process is subsequently promoted.

Conversion of Au(III)-polluted waste eggshell into functional CaO/Au nanocatalyst for biodiesel production

Developing an environmental-friendly and highly active catalyst in transesterification for biodiesel production is of great importance for a more economic biodisel process. Herein, we reported that waste eggshells were used to adsorb Au(III) in water and convert the Au(III)-polluted eggshells into the functional nanocatalyst-CaO/Au for the transesterification reaction between soybean oil and methanol to the preparation of biodiesel. By coupling of CaO and Au nanoparticles, CaO/Au nanoparticles showed superior catalytic activity for the transesterification reaction between soybean oil and methanol. An optimum performance was observed over CaO/Au nanocomposites in a methanol-oil molar ratio at 12 : 1 with catalyst content of 1.0 wt% at 70 °C for 3 h. Besides, the catalytic activity of CaO/Au nanocatalyst was almost unchanged after recycling for 5 times and the yield of biodiesel still kept at 88.9%. The proof-of concept study provided us a sustainable method for utilization of waste eggshells to remedy the metal ions-polluted wastewater and the synthesis of functional nanocomposite for biodiesel production, show great potential application of waste eggshell in adsorption and catalytic reactions.

African oil bean seed as feedstock for bio-oil and biodiesel production and on the effects of thermal pre-treatments on the quality of the bio-oil

This research is on the introduction and the effect of the pre-treatment method on oil recovery from African oil bean seeds for biodiesel production. Samples were dried in the solar dryer, open sun, and the oven at 50 °C, 60 °C, and 70 °C. The solvent extraction process with hexane was used to extract oil from the product, and their saponification value, peroxide value, acid value, iodine value, specific gravity, and the color of the bio-oil were analyzed. The oil was further used in acid-catalyzed esterification and alkaline transesterification for biodiesel production, and the effects of temperature, catalyst concentration, feedstock to methanol molar ratio, and reaction time on biodiesel conversion were investigated. Solar drying of the seed yielded the highest volume of oil compared with other drying methods. Peroxide values of the oil meet the standard values from CODEX but showed an increase in rancidity in the solar-dried and open sundried products. Bio-oil produced has good lubricating properties as its iodine properties showed that it is not a drying oil. The cetane number and heating value of the biodiesel produced are within the range when compared with the ASTM standard of diesel properties. By using a feedstock to methanol molar ratio of 1:6 and a sulfuric acid concentration of 0.8%, a biodiesel conversion of 81% was obtained after 6 h of reaction at 60 °C. The biodiesel produced by this process met the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard.

Physicochemical characteristics of Cu/Zn/γ-Al2O3 catalyst and its mechanistic study in transesterification for biodiesel production

A series of novel mixed metal oxide catalysts with the incorporation of copper as a dopant supported on zinc-alumina (Cu/Zn/γ-Al2O3) for biodiesel production have been synthesized and characterized. ZnO is a solid base catalyst, but its weak surface basic properties have limited the usage of ZnO in the transesterification reaction of refined used cooking oil to biodiesel. To further improve the catalytic activity, the copper dopant was loaded by the wetness impregnation method. Cu/Zn/γ-Al2O3 catalyst of 10:90 wt% dopant-to-based (ZnO) ratio with calcination at 800 °C exhibited the highest biodiesel yield (89.5%) at optimum reaction conditions (65 °C, 10 wt% catalyst loading, 1:20 oil-to-methanol mol ratio and 2 h reaction time). The N2 adsorption-desorption and CO2-temperature programmed desorption analyses indicated that the material possessed a high surface area (149 m2/g) and high basicity (3.7424 mmol/g). The mechanistic study confirmed the catalytic reaction followed the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (LH) model, which involves the initial adsorption of reactants molecules on active sites of the catalyst surface.

Experimental exergy analysis of transesterification in biodiesel production

Exergy flow analysis is applied to account wastes, determine the exergetic efficiency, compare substitutes and other types of energy sources and also define economic and environmental policies for resource use. The present study focuses on the exergy flow analysis of biodiesel production by esterification and transesterification of waste cooking canola oil to achieve benefits such as reducing material and energy consumptions and improving energy and exergy efficiencies. The input amounts of esterification for all the runs were kept constant, while the runs of transesterification were carried out in a variety of mass and energy input values as the experimental variables. The thermodynamics analysis was applied to determine exergy input and output of the system for the experimental runs. Impacts of experiment variables, including methanol:oil molar ratio, potassium hydroxide concentration and the reaction temperature of transesterification were evaluated on exergy efficiency and exergy loss in the transesterification. The maximum exergy efficiency (91.7%) and the minimum exergy loss (4320 kJ/kg biodiesel) were achieved at methanol:oil molar ratio of 8:1, potassium hydroxide concentration of 1 wt% and the reaction temperature of 55 °C. Excessive use of methanol and catalyst reduced the yield and the exergy efficiency through increasing exergy loss by waste materials.

Synthesis of Hierarchical Flower-Shaped Hollow Mgo Microspheres Via Ethylene-Glycol-Mediated Process as a Base Heterogeneous Catalyst for Transesterification for Biodiesel Production

Synthesis of Hierarchical Flower-Shaped Hollow Mgo Microspheres Via Ethylene-Glycol-Mediated Process as a Base Heterogeneous Catalyst for Transesterification for Biodiesel Production

In situ acid catalysed transesterification of biodiesel production from Sterculia foetida oil and seed

ABSTRACTThe quantity of fossil fuel is declining year by year, and the pollutant also released to the environment which insist on the exploration of new alternative fuel. Biodiesel from non-edible seeds is of primary concern for increasing prices of crude oil and thereof preventing greenhouse gas emissions. In the present study, the production of biodiesel by In-situ acid catalyzed transesterification from Sterculia foetida oil and seeds were reported. GC-FID characterization of oil sample revealed the presence of long-chain fatty acids with a higher proportion of sterculic acid (32%). The operating parameters in acid transesterification process viz., the weight of the oil and biomass, solvent volume, acid volume, temperature and time were optimized using Placket-Burman design. The maximum biodiesel yield obtained for sterculia oil and seeds were 91.58% and 95.91% exhibiting volume of oil being the critical factor based on Plackett-Burman design. One-way ANOVA analysis showed that chosen parameters were statistically significant (P < .05) except for temperature. FT-IR analysis confirms the presence of biodiesel (1741 cm–1) obtained from the transesterification process.

Biodiesel production from reactive extraction of Sterculia and waste cooking oil blend using an acid catalyst

ABSTRACT In the present study, Sterculia foetida oil and waste cooking oil (SWO) were blended in a 1:1 ratio and its influence on biodiesel properties was studied. In situ transesterification for biodiesel production from blended oil and the investigational design were accomplished using an acid catalyst. Effects of process variables and operating conditions like sample amount, methanol volume, hexane volume, sulphuric acid, temperature and time were examined using Plackett–Burman design. GCMS revealed the presence of the linolenic acid (20.9%) and palmitic acid (18.3%) in maximum content and the high yield of biodiesel obtained from this blended oil from the experiments was around 95%. Sulphuric acid, temperature, time and hexane volume were found to be important process parameters as per the results obtained from the Plackett–Burman design. ANOVA analysis exhibited all the process parameters were significant except methanol volume and sample amount. The R 2 value exhibiting 96.37% and R 2 (adj) 92.02% shows the good fit of the model from the obtained regression equation. After in situ transesterification, the conversion of oil in to biodiesel is confirmed by FTIR analysis by the presence of band at (1741 cm–1).

Improving biodiesel yield of animal waste fats by combination of a pre-treatment technique and microwave technology

Recently, due to its low cost there has been increased attention on Animal Waste Fats (AWFs) as a feedstock for biodiesel production. Advanced microwave technology has also been reported by many researchers to enhance the transesterification in biodiesel production. However, esterification of free fatty acids in the feedstock reported here has not attracted so much attention. AWFs come with its challenges namely, high free fatty acid (FFA) content and high water content. This study utilizes AWFs (tallow) containing very large amount of FFA; (25 wt%, 18 wt%, and 9.4 wt% FFA/AWFs) as feedstock for fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) production. A simple thermal pre-treatment technique followed microwave assisted esterification with methanol (MeOH) was conducted in a batch process to reduce the FFA content to as low as 1 wt% FFA, which is then suitable for the alkaline transesterification process. The pre-treatment of AWFs at 88 °C to first reduce water and decrease viscosity, followed by an operating microwave power of 70 W producing a power density 1.147 mW/m3, achieved a 15% increase in reduction of FFA over 30 W microwave power and conventional thermal method. Under optimum conditions, using 2.0 wt.wt% sulphuric acid catalyst/AWFs and 1:6 M ratio AWF/MeOH, the FFA conversion of 93 wt % was achieved. The results indicated that the pre-treatment and microwave application provided a faster route to high FFA reduction of AWFs during esterification process. The proposed technology is promising for the potential scale up industrial application.

Bioconversion of waste cooking oil glycerol from cabbage extract to lactic acid by Rhizopus microsporus.

Glycerol from spent oil was processed by transesterification for biodiesel production. Although glycerol contains many types of impurities, it can be used as a C-source for lactic acid production by fungi, such as Rhizopus microsporus. In this study, we found that wild type R. microsporus (LTH23) produced more lactic acid than the mutant strains on cabbage glycerol media (CG media). More lactic acid was produced on CG media than on cabbage extract media (C media) by about two-fold in batch fermentation conditions. In addition, we found that lactic acid production in a fed-batch process was also slightly higher than in a batch process. To study the combined effects of pH, urea, and glycerol waste concentration on lactic acid production, a response surface methodology was used. The optimum pH, urea, and glycerol waste concentrations were pH 6.5, 3.75 g/L, and 17 g/L, respectively. The maximum lactic acid production predicted by this equation model was 4.03 g/L.

Optimization of biodiesel production from spent cooking oil by fungal lipase using response surface methodology

This study evaluated the potential of optimizing Spent Cooking Oil (SCO) transesterification for biodiesel production using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Potential biodiesel yield from transesterification was optimized using a three-level four factor Response Surface Central Composite Design (RSCCD) with methanol oil ratio (1:1 to 3:1), temperature range 35-45 °C, agitation speed range 100-200 rpm and enzyme load 10-20%. Biodiesel properties including fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), Flash Point (FP), Pour Point (PP) and kinematic viscosity were compared with American (ASTM D6751) and European Union (EN 14214) standards. Biodiesel production was optimum at 3:1 methanol to oil ratio, temperature of 35 °C, agitation speed of 150 rpm and 20% enzyme load. 9 octadecanoic acid-hydroxyl methyl ester (33.83%) was the prominent FAME produced, while the viscosity (6 mm 2 /s), density (893 kg/m 3 ), FP (260 °C) and PP (-0.5 °C) all met both American and European standards. This study showed that RSM is a viable methodology which could be used for optimization of biodiesel production from biological sources. Keywords: Biodiesel; Spent cooking oil; FAME; Response Surface Methodology (RSM); Central Composite Design

Design and synthesis of novel Brønsted-Lewis acidic ionic liquid and its application in biodiesel production from soapberry oil

With the combination of molecular simulation and relevant experiments, the efficient Brønsted-Lewis acidic ionic liquid (IL) was designed and synthesized for biodiesel production from soapberry oil. In molecular simulation, 4-methylthiazole (MT) is proved to be the best matrix for IL preparation via electrostatic potential analysis and proton affinity analysis, and it also is verified by experiments. In orthogonal experiment, the relationship in catalytic activity between Brønsted-Lewis acidic IL and corresponding materials (Brønsted acidic IL and metal chloride) was revealed. Meanwhile, [Ps-MTH][CF3SO3] and FeCl3 are verified as the best materials for preparation of Brønsted-Lewis acidic IL, and [Ps-MTH][CF3SO3]-FeCl3(x = 0.65) is determined as the most efficient catalyst in the end. The Lewis acidity, Brønsted acidity and interaction of [Ps-MTH][CF3SO3] and FeCl3 in [Ps-MTH][CF3SO3]-FeCl3(x = 0.65) were characterized by FT-IR. And the catalytic mechanism of transesterification catalyzed by prepared IL was clarified. In order to maximize the biodiesel yield, optimization of process variables was conducted using Box-Behnken response surface methodology. The 97.04% of high biodiesel yield is obtained under the optimum conditions: reaction temperature was 127 °C, molar ratio (methanol to soapberry oil) was 27.96:1, catalyst amount was 3.06 mmol and reaction time was 8 h. Furthermore, [Ps-MTH][CF3SO3]-FeCl3(x = 0.65) presents good catalytic activity in different transesterification for biodiesel production. And its catalytic activity decreases from 97.04% to 93.59% after being used for 5 times, which reflects good reusability. The main properties of soapberry biodiesel were also measured and compared to the ASTM D6751 standard.

Experimental validation of biochar based green Bronsted acid catalysts for simultaneous esterification and transesterification in biodiesel production

In this study, a variety of novel biochar based Bronsted acid catalysts were prepared from low cost potential feedstocks viz., cassava peel, irul sawdust, coconut shell and their catalytic activity for biodiesel production were compared. The optimization studies of biochar generation were carried out based on the influence of pyrolysis temperature and heating duration, for the preparation of acid catalyst with superior activity. The elemental analysis, surface functional groups, thermal stability, crystallographic structure, surface morphology and pore size distribution of all biochars and its sulfonated catalysts were characterized thoroughly. The performance of the sulfonated biochar catalysts for the synthesis of biodiesel from Derris indica L. seed oil was evaluated and compared. The cassava peel biochar based catalyst with a total acid density of 2.9 mmol/g and sulfonic acid group density of 1.7 mmol/g showed the best result among the sulfonated biochar catalysts for the enhanced biodiesel production.

Ultrasonication‐assisted transesterification for biodiesel production by using heterogeneous ZnO nanocatalyst

Biodiesel is considered as an alternative fuel which can replace the traditional fuels easily with its less hazardous effects and economical pricing. This study compares an ultrasonic‐assisted catalytic transesterification using ZnO nanocatalyst for waste cooking oil (WCO) with the conventional stirring method. The structural and morphological characterizations of prepared catalysts were done by XRD and FESEM with EDX methods. The effect of reaction parameters such as oil to methanol ratio, catalyst amount and reaction time was investigated to optimize the transesterification conditions. GC/MS and FTIR analysis have been carried out to identify and confirm the presence of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) under optimum conditions. The FAME conversion yield up to 96% under ultrasonication method was calculated. Two important fuel properties like density and viscosity were analyzed and compared with the standard biodiesel. These studies provided the clear evidence that WCO can be employed as a substantial source of biodiesel as fuel in diesel engines. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 37: 1176–1182, 2018