New High-Throughput Reactor for Biomass Valorization

Mechanochemistry and oleochemistry: a green combination for the production of high-value small chemicals

“…Nevertheless, a common challenge in biodiesel production, regardless of the catalyst used, is the poor miscibility of vegetable oils and methanol, leading to reduced reaction rates, especially in continuous flow processs. To address this limitation, alternative processes employing mechanochemistry in semi-continuous flow have been reported ( Malpartida et al, 2020b ; Malpartida et al, 2020 ). These innovative approaches offer potential solutions to enhance the overall efficiency of biodiesel production.…”

“…Subsequent stirring for 4 h at 50°C or 24 h at room temperature completed the reaction and permitted to produce biodiesel with a yield of more than 90% ( Scheme 2 ). This novel biodiesel production process is readily scalable and can be applied to the conversion of used cooking oils without any significant loss of yield ( Malpartida et al, 2020b ; Malpartida et al, 2020 ). A cost study was conducted, revealing the newfound approach to be more economical than the conventional batch stirred process.…”

“… Semi-continuous biodiesel production catalyzed by CaDG using a high-throughput reactor filles with beads ( Malpartida et al, 2020b ; Malpartida et al, 2020 ). …”

“…The same research group investigated biodiesel production from both sunflower oil and used cooking oil, employing a slightly higher molar ratio of methanol to oil (5:1 compared to 4:1) and a lower flow rate (4 L h -1 ) ( Malpartida et al, 2020b ; Malpartida et al, 2020 ). The findings indicated that similar catalytic activity was observed up to 120 min, yielding 80%.…”

“…As mentioned earlier for biodiesel production, CaDG serves as an active basic catalyst and is commonly synthesized through conventional methods ( Kouzu and Hidaka, 2012 ; Kouzu et al, 2018 ; Malpartida et al, 2020b ; Malpartida et al, 2020 ). Additionally, CaDG finds applications as a plasticizer and thermal stabilizer for plastics.…”