Rapid microwave-assisted transesterification of yellow horn oil to biodiesel using a heteropolyacid solid catalyst

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 101; no. 3; pp. 931 - 936
• Main Authors: Zhang, Su, Zu, Yuan-Gang, Fu, Yu-Jie, Luo, Meng, Zhang, Dong-Yang, Efferth, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2010; [New York, NY]: Elsevier Ltd; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biodiesel; Biofuel production; Biofuels; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Biotechnology - methods; Catalysis; Catalysts; cesium; cesium salt of 12-tungstophosphoric acid; cesium salt of dodecatungstophosphoric acid; chemistry; Energy; Energy-Generating Resources; enzymology; Esters; Esters - chemistry; fatty acid esters; fatty acid methyl esters; Fatty Acids; Fatty Acids - chemistry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heteropolyacid; Horns; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Methanol; Methanol - chemistry; methanolysis; methods; Methyl alcohol; microwave radiation; Microwave-assisted; Microwaves; Oils; Oils - chemistry; Optimization; phosphoric acid; physical properties; physicochemical properties; Plant Oils; Plant Oils - chemistry; renewable energy sources; Sapindaceae; Sapindaceae - enzymology; seed oils; Temperature; Time Factors; Transesterification; tungsten; Xanthoceras sorbifolia; Yellow horn; Heteropolyacid; Microwave-assisted; Transesterification; Biodiesel; Yellow horn; Microwave; Catalyst
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2009.08.069

An efficient microwave-assisted transesterification (MAT) technique was developed to prepare biodiesel from yellow horn ( Xanthoceras sorbifolia Bunge.) oil with a heteropolyacid (HPA) catalyst namely Cs 2.5H 0.5PW 12O 40. A study for optimizing the reaction conditions such as reaction temperature, time, molar ratio of methanol/oil, catalyst amount, and recycle number of catalyst has been performed. The maximum yield of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) reached 96.22% under optimal conditions of temperature 60 °C, 10 min, molar ratio of methanol/oil 12:1, 1% (w/w of oil) catalyst and minimum recycle number nine times. The final product of biodiesel, obtained after the new catalyzed process, was analyzed by gas chromatography. The results showed that the Cs 2.5H 0.5PW 12O 40 heterogeneous acid catalyst had higher efficiency for transesterification under microwave irradiation compared with the conventional method. The product properties of yellow horn biodiesel are found to be in agreement with EN 14214 standard.