Abstract
A series of alkali-doped metal oxide catalysts were prepared and
evaluated for activity in the transesterification of rapeseed oil to
biodiesel. Of those evaluated, LiNO3/CaO, NaNO3/CaO, KNO3/CaO and LiNO3/MgO
exhibited >90% conversion in a standard 3 h test. There was a clear
correlation between base strength and activity. These catalysts appeared
to be promising candidates to replace conventional homogeneous
catalysts for biodiesel production as the reaction times are low enough
to be practical in continuous processes and the preparations are neither
prohibitively difficult nor costly. However, metal leaching from the
catalyst was detected, and this resulted in some homogeneous activity.
This would have to be resolved before these catalysts would be viable
for large-scale biodiesel production facilities.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 63-70 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Chemical Engineering Journal |
Volume | 135 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
Early online date | 16 Apr 2007 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 15 Jan 2008 |
Bibliographical note
Funding: EPSRCKeywords
- biodiesel
- renewable fuel
- transesterification
- heterogeneous catalysis
- process intensification