Screening of novel materials for biodiesel production through the esterification of oleic acid-Aceptado (minor revisions) para su publicación

MATKOVIC, S.R.; NILSSON, J.; FAIT, M.E.; MORCELLE, S.R.; BRIAND, L.E.

CATALYSIS LETTERS

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2016

1011-372X

The present contribution screens the specific activity of various inorganic andenzymatic based materials in the esterification of oleic acid that is typically used as a test reaction for the production of biodiesel from high free fatty acid feedstocks.The inorganic materials investigated in this contribution are bulk fosfotungstic heteropoly acid of the Wells Dawson structure H6P2W18O62.nH2O (HPA), as well as dispersed on titanium dioxide 18% w/w H6P2W18O62/TiO2 and the insoluble cesium salt of the Wells Dawson heteropoly anion Cs2H4P2W18O62. Additionally, the commercial biocatalyst Novozym®435 (immobilized lipase B of Candida antarctica)and a self-supported lipase of vegetable origin obtained from the latex Araujiasericifera (ASL) were studied among the materials of enzymatic nature. The density and accessibility of Brönsted acid sites have a key role in the specificactivity of the fosfotungstic based heteropoly compounds. The HPA dispersed overan oxide support catalyzed the esterification of the fatty acid in a heterogeneous fashion with the highest activity (6.4 µmol mg-1h-1 at 85oC) among the inorganic materials. In contrast, the enzymatic materials are more active at lower temperature than the inorganic ones. Particularly, ASL catalyzed the homogenous methanolysis with the highest specific activity (30.7 µmol mg-1h-1 at 40oC) at the lowest temperature among the materials assayed.