Catalise heterogênea do biodiesel de coco babaçu monitorada por analise termogravimetrica

Energy Fuels XXXX, XXX, 000–000

: DOI:10.1021/ef101228f

Heterogeneous Catalysis of Babassu Oil Monitored by Thermogravimetric Analysis
Carla Ver^nica Rodarte de Moura,* Adriano Gomes de Castro, Edmilson Miranda de Moura, o Jose Ribeiro dos Santos Jr., and Jose Machado Moita Neto
Department of Chemistry, Universidade Federal do Piauı´ (UFPI), Teresina, Piauı´ (PI) CEP 64049-550, Brazil Received July 4, 2010. Revised Manuscript Received October 29, 2010

This paper investigates the transesterification of babassu oil to biodiesel in a fixed-bed reactor using strontium oxide (SrO) as a catalyst. Under room temperature, atmospheric pressure, and 100 g of babassu oil initial feeding, babassu oil conversion reached almost 100% after 3 h using 1.5 g of SrO. This result shows a promising and commercially viable path to produce biodiesel. In terms of technical quality, it was found that the reaction time is a key issue rather than the amount of catalyst in use. In addition, the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) method was found as accurate as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for measurement of the conversion.

Introduction Biodiesel has emerged as a promising alternative to mineral fuels. This renewable characteristic makes it an important source of energy. It can improve air quality because of the reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases and sulfur,1,2 and it can be used in stationary diesel or automotive engines as an additive, without adaptation.3 Industrially, the main catalyst used to produce biodiesel is NaOH, a homogeneous catalyst. However, NaOH can cause some problems in the process, such as the formation of soap or emulsion.4 The heterogeneous catalysts have been widely studied and have advantages in the commercial production of biodiesel, having a positive impact on the economy and the environment.5,6 The literature shows that the alkali metal oxides have been used as catalysts for the transesterification reaction of oils.5 Liu et al.7 have studied