Carbon-Based Solid Acid Catalyzed Esterification of Soybean Saponin-Acidified Oil with Methanol Vapor for Biodiesel Synthesis

Bingxin Zhang, Xiaona Wang, Weiqi Tang, Chuanfu Wu (), Qunhui Wang and Xiaohong Sun ()
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Bingxin Zhang: Beijing Key Laboratory on Resource-Oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
Xiaona Wang: Beijing Key Laboratory on Resource-Oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
Weiqi Tang: Beijing Key Laboratory on Resource-Oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
Chuanfu Wu: Beijing Key Laboratory on Resource-Oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
Qunhui Wang: Beijing Key Laboratory on Resource-Oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
Xiaohong Sun: Beijing Agro-Biotechnology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100097, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-15

Abstract: In this study, carbon-based solid acids were used to catalyze the esterification of soybean saponin-acidified oil (SSAO) with methanol vapor for the synthesis of biodiesel. The esterification conversion under different conditions was determined, and the catalyst components were determined using acid-base titration, elemental analysis, and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy. The results showed that the conversion of SSAO under the optimal esterification conditions (i.e., catalyst loading of 6 wt%, methanol/oil molar ratio of 50:1, reaction temperature of 76 °C, and reaction time of 4 h) was 98.9%. The conversion was still higher than 80% after the catalyst was reused for four batches. The methanol vapor esterification (MVE) effectively mitigated the leaching of sulfonic acid groups and the production of sulfonate esters, while the activated white clay adsorption can significantly reduce the metal ion content in SSAO, which weakens its ion exchange with sulfonic acid groups. MVE for biodiesel synthesis is less costly compared to liquid methanol esterification because of the high recovery of methanol and the improved catalyst stability. Therefore, the addition of methanol in the form of vapor in the carbon-based solid acid-catalyzed esterification system is an effective way to maintain the catalyst activity and reduce the production cost of biodiesel.

Keywords: biodiesel; carbon-based solid acid catalyst; esterification; heterogeneous catalysis; methanol vapor; soybean saponin-acidified oil (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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