Extruded catalysts show efficient conversion of sunflower oil into biodiesel. The reaction achieved practically total conversion using 35%K 2 CO 3 /65%-Al 2 O 3 at 2h. After transesterification high-quality biodiesel was attained according ASTM/EN specifications. Highlights (for review)
The aim of this work was to evaluate the performance of different extruded catalysts containing K2CO3as active phase and adding convenientlyγ-Al2O3and/or sepiolite and magnetic particles on the biodiesel production from sunflower oil by the ethanolic route. Firstly, the content of the Fe3O4on the catalyst (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 g Fe3O4/g of K2CO3/γ-Al2O3), after calcination step, was evaluated to verify the separation facility of the catalysts with magnetic properties from reactional medium, using an external magnetic field, at the end of biodiesel synthesis. After that, three different catalysts were considered for comparative purposes: (a) K2CO3/γ-Al2O3; (b) K2CO3/γ-Al2O3/Fe3O4; (c) K2CO3/γ-Al2O3/Sepiolite/Fe3O4and subsequently characterized by dynamometry, TGA, SEM, VSM, BET, and XRD to determine their mechanical, structural, magnetic, and textural properties. However, their catalytic activities were determined through biodiesel production that was carried out in a glass volumetric reactor during 4 h, under magnetic stirring with 5% wt. of the catalyst and oil : ethanol molar ratio (1 : 12) at 80°C reaction temperature. The best result, i.e., around 88% of biodiesel conversion, was obtained with catalyst K2CO3/γ-Al2O3/Sepiolite/Fe3O4which showed also satisfactory textural and mechanical strength properties comparatively with the other catalytic derivatives. In addition, no agglomeration of the particles was observed during the reaction, and the magnetic property of this catalytic system was satisfactory for adequate separation from reactional medium seeking further reuse. The attained results are attractive for possible implementation at industrial scale and can be considered to mitigate drawbacks which resulting by using of homogeneous catalysts in the conventional processes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.