Biodiesel production from Pistacia chinensis seed oil via transesterification using recyclable magnetic cellulose-based catalyst

• Published in: Industrial crops and products Vol. 89; pp. 332 - 338
• Main Authors: Han, Ying-Zhi, Hong, Li, Wang, Xi-Qing, Liu, Ju-Zhao, Jiao, Jiao, Luo, Meng, Fu, Yu-Jie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 30.10.2016
• Subjects: biodiesel; catalysts; cellulose; fatty acid methyl esters; fuel production; Highly-acidic; Magnetic cellulose microspheres; magnetic fields; methanol; Pistacia chinensis; Pistacia chinensis seed oil; scanning electron microscopy; seed oils; temperature; Transesterification; Tree born oil; trees; X-ray diffraction; Transesterification; Tree born oil; Highly-acidic; Pistacia chinensis seed oil; Magnetic cellulose microspheres
• ISSN: 0926-6690; 1872-633X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2016.05.015

[Display omitted] •MCM-HPW was prepared and applied in transesterification of P. chinensis seed oil.•A high conversion yield of 93.1% was achieved under optimum reaction conditions.•MCM-HPW can be easily recycled under a magnetic field and reused for four times.•The mechanism of MCM-HPW catalyzed transesterification was clarified. In order to efficiently catalyze the transesterification of highly-acidic tree born oil (TBO) to produce biodiesel the magnetic cellulose microsphere (MCM) supported H3PW12O40 (MCM-HPW) catalyst was designed and prepared successfully, and it was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Then, the MCM-HPW was used for transesterification of highly-acidic Pistacia chinensis seed oil to biodiesel for the first time. A high conversion yield (93.1%) of fatty acid methyl esters was obtained under the optimal conditions of catalyst amount 15wt.%, methanol/oil ratio 10:1 (v:v), temperature 60°C and reaction time 80min. The catalyst could be easily separated from the reaction mixture under a magnetic field, and efficiently reused for at least four cycles. Thus, the prepared MCM-HPW catalyst possessed the potential of green and economic biodiesel production from highly-acidic TBO.