Homogeneous catalyst design allowing for lower quality feed utilization for biodiesel production

INOR 281

Christopher J. Chuck, cc245@bath.ac.uk, Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, UK, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY, Bath, United Kingdom, Matthew G. Davidson, M.G.Davidson@bath.ac.uk, Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY Bath, United Kingdom, and Matthew D. Lunn, Johnson Matthey Catalysts, PO Box 1, Belasis Avenue, Billingham, Cleveland, TS23 1LB, United Kingdom.
The transesterification of triglycerides, the major constituent of vegetable and waste oils, with methanol produces fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). The FAME can then be burned to completion in a diesel fuel engine, with an energy value equivalent to mineral diesel fuel. Current commercial catalysts are intolerant to impurities in low-quality feedstocks such as free fatty acids and water. A range of potential Lewis acid transesterification catalysts have been synthesized and characterized, containing a variety of metal centres and biologically derived ligand scaffolds. Transesterification reactions, using soybean oil, have been studied in order to investigate the utility of these catalysts for biodiesel production. The most successful catalysts to date have also been screened for the production of biodiesel from model waste oils. A homogeneous zinc carboxylate system has been shown to be the most successful, converting over 90% of the mixed glycerides to FAME over 2 hours at 200 °C.
 

Organometallic Catalysts
7:00 PM-10:00 PM, Sunday, August 19, 2007 BCEC -- Exhibit Hall - B2, Poster

Division of Inorganic Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007