Zinc glycerolate: An unconventional heterogeneous catalyst for the glycerolysis of fatty acids in biodiesel production

• Published in: Renewable energy Vol. 218; p. 119140
• Main Authors: Liang, Xiaojiang, Fei, Haotian, Zhou, Chenxuan, Ye, Xuelei, Xie, Qinglong, Wu, Zhenyu, Yu, Shangzhi, Duan, Ying, Nie, Yong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2023
• Subjects: Biodiesel; Glycerolysis reaction; Oleic acid; Reaction mechanism; Zinc glycerolate; Reaction mechanism; Zinc glycerolate; Oleic acid; Biodiesel; Glycerolysis reaction
• ISSN: 0960-1481; 1879-0682
• DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2023.119140

In this work, an efficient and green glycerolysis reaction catalyzed by zinc glycerolate was developed to prepare biodiesel from oleic acid. The active phase of zinc glycerolate was investigated by XRD, FTIR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR. An interesting result was obtained that zinc glycerolate was first dissolved to form zinc oleate and then regenerated to zinc glycerolate during the reaction, which was essential for the conversion of oleic acid. The relationship between dissolved zinc glycerolate and conversion of oleic acid was determined. The regeneration of zinc glycerolate was achieved when the molar ratio of glycerol to oleic acid was higher than 0.6:1. A plausible pathway for the glycerolysis reaction catalyzed by zinc glycerolate was proposed. Zinc glycerolate could be recycled 10 times with no obvious decrease in catalytic activity, and the oleic acid conversion of 98% was achieved. In addition, zinc glycerolate was applied to catalyze glycerolysis reaction of different feedstock and demonstrated excellent performance. The results show that zinc glycerolate is a promising catalyst in glycerolysis reaction for biodiesel production. [Display omitted]