화학공학소재연구정보센터
Chemical Engineering Communications, Vol.200, No.11, 1542-1552, 2013
TRANSESTERIFICATION OF PALM OIL AT NEAR-CRITICAL CONDITIONS USING SULFONATED CARBON-BASED ACID CATALYST
This study aims to investigate the production of biodiesel by transesterification of purified palm oil (PPO) at near-critical conditions using a carbon-based catalyst, synthesized by incomplete carbonization of naphthalene in sulfuric acid. The catalyst shows good activity for the reaction; with the most suitable condition found to be at a methanol-to-PPO molar ratio of 12:1, a carbon-based catalyst-to-PPO mass ratio of 0.5wt.%, a reaction time of 30min, and a reaction temperature of 270 degrees C. This resulted in a FAME yield of about 95%. However, FAME yields were found to decrease after each reaction cycle from around 95% in the first to 61% in the second cycle, and to only 45% in the third cycle, as a result of catalyst deactivation due to acid leaching.