Issue 14, 2024

Exploiting the potential of calcined sodium citrate as a novel and efficient heterogeneous catalyst for biodiesel synthesis

Abstract

Environmental concerns have emphasized the necessity of pursuing renewable energy in order to reduce reliance on fossil fuel-derived sources. Biodiesel, a promising renewable fuel, still faces challenges in its production associated with the feedstock and the dependence on homogeneous catalysts. Herein, for the first time, sodium citrate, a bio-based and environmentally friendly compound, is calcined at mild temperatures to create a novel basic heterogeneous catalyst for the transesterification of refined canola and waste cooking oils. The catalyst demonstrated excellent performance with a 99% conversion of canola oil. Moreover, a conversion of 98% was obtained under optimized conditions (1 : 36 oil to methanol molar ratio, 10 wt% catalyst loading, 3 h, and 90 °C) when waste cooking oil was used as the feedstock. The catalyst further exhibited remarkable tolerance up to 10 wt% free fatty acids. Kinetics studies indicated that the reaction is governed by a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. Notably, the catalyst exhibits high turnover frequencies of 6.22 h−1 and 1.86 h−1 for the transesterification of canola and waste cooking oils, respectively, proving its efficiency. Finally, a possible mechanism for the reaction using calcined sodium citrate as a basic heterogeneous catalyst was proposed.

Graphical abstract: Exploiting the potential of calcined sodium citrate as a novel and efficient heterogeneous catalyst for biodiesel synthesis

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
12 Feb 2024
Accepted
05 Jun 2024
First published
13 Jun 2024

Catal. Sci. Technol., 2024,14, 3864-3877

Exploiting the potential of calcined sodium citrate as a novel and efficient heterogeneous catalyst for biodiesel synthesis

M. P. Duarte and R. Naccache, Catal. Sci. Technol., 2024, 14, 3864 DOI: 10.1039/D4CY00195H

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