Optimal synthesis of methyl ester of Sal oil (Shorea robusta) using ion-exchange resin catalyst

International Journal of Industrial Chemistry

دوره 5، شماره 3، اسفند 2014، صفحه 95-106

نوع مقاله: research article

شناسه دیجیتال (DOI): https://doi.org/10.1007/s40090-014-0024-6

نویسندگان

Bhaskar Hajra؛ Akhilendra K. Pathak؛ Chandan Guria^*

Department of Petroleum Engineering, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, 826 004, India

چکیده

This paper deals with the synthesis of Sal oil methyl ester (SOME) biodiesel using Sal oil (Shorea robusta) and acidic ion-exchange resin catalyst (INDION-225 H). An experimental set-up was proposed for the synthesis of SOME biodiesel where esterification of free fatty acids and transesterification of glycerides of fatty acids took place simultaneously with continuous removal of water. Effects of methanol and catalyst loading were studied to maximize the conversion of Sal oil to SOME biodiesel. Biodiesel productivity was also tested using recycled catalyst and a constant yield of biodiesel was obtained for all the catalyst recycle experiments. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) study of recycled catalyst was carried out to check the morphology of the catalyst and the degradation of the catalyst after recycling. SEM analysis revealed that the catalyst activity remained unchanged after several recycles. In the proposed process, ion-exchange resin not only reduced catalyst consumption and effluent generation considerably but also enhanced the productivity of SOME biodiesel considerably by eliminating the steps of purification. Acid value was measured continuously to monitor the extent of biodiesel formation with reaction time. The yield of SOME biodiesel was measured after purification of the reaction mass and it was tested using ASTM’s standard methods of biodiesel testing. Finally, the properties of SOME biodiesel were compared with the petroleum-based diesel fuel.

کلیدواژه‌ها

Sal oil؛ Ion-exchange resin؛ Biodiesel؛ Catalyst recycle؛ SEM؛ ASTM