Biodiesel production by homogeneous catalysis

1. Biodiesel production by homogeneous catalysis Raúl Mateos González Katharina J. Bauer  Pablo M. Martín Soladana

2. Content Definition Chemical reaction Comparison to conventional diesel Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis Improvement and new technologies Conclusion

3. Definition: Biodiesel is defined as fatty acid methyl or ethyl esters from vegetable oils or animal fats when they are used as fuel in diesel engines and heating systems. Introduction

4. Transesterification catalyzed by acid or basic homogeneous catalysts with alcohol CHEMICAL REACTION

5. Occurs when FFA react with basic catalyst • Problematic because: • Consume catalyst • Biodiesel yield decreases • Complicates separation & purification reduce biodiesel production efficiency Saponification

6. Biodiesel advantages • Independencyfromcrudeoilimports • Lessharmfulemissions • Biodegradableand non-toxic • Safer tostoreandtransport • Biodiesel disadvantages • Higher productioncosts • Raw material problems ComparisonBiOdiesel vs. Conventional Diesel

7. Homogeneous & heterogeneous • Advantages of heterogeneous process: • Lower initial costs • High conversion rate • Less chemicals are used • Lower consumption of methanol • Glycerine is purer • Advantages of homogeneous process: • Biodiesel does not depend on glycerine price • Lower consumption of energy is needed

8. Homogeneous catalysis • Base catalyzed reaction: • It is able to catalyze reactions at low temperature and atmospheric pressure. • High conversion can be achieved in minimal time • Economical Although is very sensible to FFA on the feedstock.

9. Homogeneous catalysis • Acid catalyzed reaction: • Insensitive to FFA in feedstock • H2SO4 and HCl is used • More economical process • Although lower reaction rate

10. Homogeneous catalysis • Homogeneous acid and basic catalyst: • FFA can be converted to ester • A lot of acid is required to esterification

11. Improvements & new technologies Enzymatic catalysis Microwaves Ultrasonic technology

12. Enzymes • Advantages: • Produces less wastewater • No by-products • Mild reaction conditions • Easy separation • Reutilization • Disadvantages: • Expensive catalysis • Industrial scale • Slow reaction rate • Enzyme deactivation and degeneration

13. Enzymes Mostly used enzymes: • Lypozym IM 60: • Good yields with primary alcohols (93-99%) • Deactivation can be avoided using hexane as solvent • PS 30 • Better with secondary alcohols (85%) • Used with hexane as solvent • Immobilization (easy recovery) • Novozym 435 • Best with secondary alcohols (96%) • No solvent is used • Deactivation problems

14. MICROWAVES • Temperature stability • Reduces reaction time • Improves efficiency • Expensive equipment • Continuous process improvement

15. Ultrasonictechnology • Stirring method • Energy efficiency • Useful for less solvable substances • Reduces biodiesel and glycerol adsorption to equipment

16. Conclusion • Homogeneous catalysis is the most commonly used method • Saponification is the main problem • New technologies need to be improved

17. Thanks for your attention