CHED 1112 |
| Transesterification of triglycerides with methanol or ethanol to form glycerol and monoesters is the primary process in which biodiesel is produced. We are developing new heterogeneous catalysts for this process that could potentially be incorporated into a continuous flow reactor. Untreated zeolite, alumina, and silica gel are ineffective at catalyzing this reaction, but when treated with NaOH and dried, all were effective catalysts. When reused for consecutive batch reactions, catalysis remained high for the treated zeolite and silica gel, while the treated alumina's reactivity dramatically decreased. We also tested sol gel materials into which a variety of metal ions had been incorporated, but these materials proved to be ineffective catalysts. The best zeolite catalyst was incorporated into a small flow reactor and with a contact time of 7 min at 100 °C, produced an 80% yield of biodiesel. We are currently working to optimize and characterize this system. |
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Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Environmental Chemistry
2:00 PM-4:00 PM, Monday, March 26, 2007 Hyatt Regency Chicago -- Riverside Center, Poster
Division of Chemical Education |