Supercritical Fluid Transesterification for the Catalyst-Free Production of Biodiesel
Abstract
Non-catalytic transesterification of triglycerides with supercritical fluids provides a new way of producing biodiesel fuel from various sources of oils and fats. For the enhanced production of biodiesel, soybean oil was treated with a supercritical mixture of methanol and carbon dioxide without the aid of traditional alkali or acid catalyst. Supercritical reaction parameters investigated for the maximum biodiesel formation were the reaction time, temperature, pressure and the molar ratio of supercritical fluid to triglycerides. The catalyst-free supercritical reaction process tolerated the presence of water and eliminated the catalyst removing steps. The results also indicated that the addition of a co-solvent, supercritical carbon dioxide, increases the rate of the transesterification and allows more moderate reaction conditions.
Recommended Citation
P. K. Nam et al., "Supercritical Fluid Transesterification for the Catalyst-Free Production of Biodiesel," Proceedings of the 238th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (2009, Washington, DC), American Chemical Society (ACS), Aug 2009.
Meeting Name
238th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (2009: Aug. 16-20, Washington, DC)
Department(s)
Chemistry
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
978-0841200050
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0065-7727
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2015 American Chemical Society (ACS), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Aug 2009
