Transesterification of triglycerides in high and low quality oil feeds over an HT2 hydrotalcite catalyst

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 99; no. 11; pp. 5037 - 5042
• Main Authors: Barakos, N., Pasias, S., Papayannakos, N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2008; [New York, NY]: Elsevier Ltd; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Acid oils; aluminum hydroxide; Aluminum Hydroxide - metabolism; Biodiesel; Biofuel production; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Catalysis; catalysts; cottonseed oil; Energy; Esterification; Fatty Acids - metabolism; Free fatty acids; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glycerol - metabolism; Hydrotalcite; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Magnesium Hydroxide - metabolism; Plant Oils - chemistry; Plant Oils - metabolism; Solid catalyst; transesterification; triacylglycerols; Triglycerides - metabolism; vegetable oil; Water; water content; Hydrotalcite; Acid oils; Solid catalyst; Biodiesel; Free fatty acids; Free fatty acid; Transesterification; Triglyceride; Catalyst
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2007.09.008

The use of a heterogeneous catalyst, in the transesterification reaction of refined and acidic cottonseed oil for the production of methyl-esters (biodiesel) has been studied. The basic Mg–Al–CO 3 hydrotalcite catalyst used showed a high activity for methanolysis and esterification reactions in a refined and an acidic cottonseed oil as well as in a representative high water content animal fat feed. The experiments were performed in a temperature range between 180 and 210 °C, in a batch reactor. The methanol to vegetable oil molar ratio was 6 to 1, while the catalyst concentration was fixed at 1 wt.% of the oil mass. Non-calcined and calcined forms of the catalyst were tested. The activity of the calcined catalyst was lower than the initial activity of the non-calcined catalytic system but it appeared the same with the reused non-calcined system.