Abstract:A basic catalyst made of charred shrimp shells treated with potassium fluoride (KF) was employed in the transesterification reaction of soybean oil in the presence of methanol to produce methyl esters. The shells used here are wastes from freshwater shrimp farming in the western region of the state of Paraná, Brazil, which are normally discarded in dumps/landfills and are a rich source of the biopolymer chitin (poly-β-1,4-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine). Charring of the shells (at 450 °C for 2 h) is aimed at partially… Show more
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