Ultrasound-assisted Esterification of Glycerol for Triacetin Production

Abstract

Glycerol is a by-product of biodiesel production. So far, glycerol has not been used optimally. An alternative product that can be produced from glycerol is triacetin through the esterification process. Research on the review of reaction kinetics to determine the optimum conditions of the reaction still limited. Previous study also reported that the esterification process requires quite a long reaction time. Therefore, in this study ultrasonic technology will be used to accelerate the reaction of glycerol esterification with acetic acid using sulfuric acid catalyst. The purpose of this study is to study the effect of ultrasonic technology on the conversion of esterification of glycerol/acetic acid, and to observe the kinetic study of triacetin production. To answer this goal, this study uses a set of ultrasonic devices as a substitute for the esterification of conventional models. The greatest conversion results are obtained when the reaction temperature is 1000C with a mole ratio of glycerol/mole of acetic acid 1/8. The use of ultrasonic technology in theory should have a greater impact on conversion results. The reaction order obtained is order 2 with the largest k value in the mole ratio of glycerol: acetic acid 1: 8 which is 0.0006 (l.mol−1menit−1). Due to the variation of moles ratio, the ratio at 1/6 and 1/4 did not show significant changes of reaction rate, the changes are constant for both first and second order reaction. But at the mole ratio of 1/8, the reaction rate constant shows a significant different for temperature changes.

Glycerol Acetylation: Effect of Graphene Oxide Catalyst Mass Percentage on Glycerol Conversion and Acetin Selectivity

“…to raise octane numbers and viscosity, and triacetin can also be utilized as a flavor enhancer, emulsifier, plasticizer, and additives in coating and paint [8], [9], [4].…”

“…Glycerol is created as a by-product of biodiesel manufacturing, accounting for 10% of the total produced [3]. The abundance of glycerol must be engineered into value-added goods [4]. Glycerol acetylation is performed by adding acetic acid, resulting in monoacetin, diacetin, and triacetin, which can provide advantages and have a higher economic value [5].…”