Screening, optimization and kinetics of Jatropha curcas oil transesterification with heterogeneous catalysts

Andréia F. Zanette, Rodrigo A. Barella, Sibele B.C. Pergher, Helen Treichel, Débora Oliveira, Marcio A. Mazutti, Edson A. Silva and J. Vladimir Oliveira

Renewable Energy, 2011, vol. 36, issue 2, 726-731

Abstract: This work investigates the production of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) from Jatropha curcas oil using a variety of heterogeneous catalysts: resins, zeolites, clays, hydrotalcites, aluminas and niobium oxide. For this purpose, a catalyst screening was first conducted in a batch reactor at the following operating conditions: oil to methanol molar ratio of 1:9, 6h of reaction, 5 wt% catalyst, at 333 and 393K. From the screening step, KSF clay and Amberlyst 15 catalysts were selected to carry out a 23 full factorial central composite rotatable design so as to elucidate the effects of process variables on FAME yield. The optimum reaction conditions for both catalysts were found to be oil to methanol molar ratio of 1:12, 5 wt% of catalyst, 433K and 6h of reaction with a FAME yield of about 70 wt%. A kinetic study was then experimentally performed and a semi-empirical model was built to represent the experimental data. Finally, catalyst re-utilization in five successive batch experiments was evaluated at the optimized conditions.

Keywords: Biodiesel; Jatropha curcas oil; Heterogeneous catalysis; Kinetics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:36:y:2011:i:2:p:726-731

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2010.08.028

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