Electro-Catalytic Biodiesel Production from Canola Oil in Methanolic and Ethanolic Solutions with Low-Cost Stainless Steel and Hybrid Ion-Exchange Resin Grafted Electrodes

Abstract

Biodiesel is a growing alternative to petroleum fuels and is produced by the catalyzed transesterification of fats in presence of an alcohol base. Transesterification processes using homogeneous catalysts are considered to be among the most efficient methods but rely on the feedstock quality and low water content in order to avoid undesirable saponification reactions. In this work, the electro-catalytic conversion of canola oil to biodiesel in a 1% aqueous methanolic and ethanolic reaction mixture was performed without the addition of external catalyst or cosolvent. An inexpensive stainless steel (SS) electrode and a hybrid SS electrode coated with an ion-exchange resin catalyst were used as cathode materials while the anode was composed of a plain carbon paper. The cell voltages were varied from 10 to 40 V and the reaction temperature maintained at 20 or 40°C. The canola oil conversion rates were found to be superior at 40°C without saponification reactions for cell voltages below 30 V. The conversion rates were as high as 87% for the hybrid electrode and 81% for the plain SS electrode. This work could inspire new process development for the conversion of high water content feedstock for the production of second-generation biodiesel.

Widely used catalysts in biodiesel production: a review

“…294 In recent years, several research groups have studied the feasibility of solid acid catalysts for esterication/ transesterication processes, and proposed economical and environment-friendly approaches for biodiesel production. [295][296][297] 7.2.1 Ion exchange resin. It is a well-known fact that several catalysts have been employed for FAME production from various feedstocks.…”

Co-Solvent Free Electrochemical Synthesis of Biodiesel Using Graphite Electrode and Waste Concrete Heterogeneous Catalyst: Optimization of Biodiesel Yield

“…The biodiesel synthesis was conducted in a single electrolytic cell containing oil, methanol, NaCl, water, and concrete waste rich-metal oxide (−M−O−), using graphite electrodes [3], due to low cost, inertness, good electrical conductivity, physical-chemical stability and durability [15]. The electrode provides comparable properties with other precious metals, such as platinum (Pt) and stainless steel (SS) that have been utilized in biodiesel synthesis [13,16]. The redox reaction on the electrodes are as follow (Eqs.…”

Widely Used Catalysts in Biodiesel Production: A Review

“…294 In recent years, several research groups have studied the feasibility of solid acid catalysts for esterification/transesterification processes and proposed economical and environment-friendly approaches for biodiesel production. [295][296][297]…”