Alum as a heterogeneous catalyst for the transesterification of palm oil

Alum has been taken beyond its traditional roles as a water treatment chemical and a confectionary additive to a new role as catalytic precursor in biodiesel production. Its catalytic potentials were empirically proved via palm oil transesterification with methanol and application of solid state ins...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied catalysis. A, General General, 2009-11, Vol.370 (1), p.54-58
Main Authors: Aderemi, Benjamin O., Hameed, B.H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alum
Catalysis
Catalyst
Catalysts
Chemistry
Esters
Exact sciences and technology
Fatty acid methyl ester
Fatty acids
General and physical chemistry
Methyl alcohol
Palm oil
Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry
Transesterification
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Summary:Alum has been taken beyond its traditional roles as a water treatment chemical and a confectionary additive to a new role as catalytic precursor in biodiesel production. Its catalytic potentials were empirically proved via palm oil transesterification with methanol and application of solid state instrumental characterization techniques. The catalyst was very clean, efficient, simple and cheap to produce, and could be clearly separated from the reaction products. Alum has been taken beyond its traditional roles as a water treatment chemical and a confectionary additive to a new role as a catalytic precursor in biodiesel production. Its catalytic potentials were empirically proved via palm oil transesterification with methanol and application of solid state instrumental characterization techniques. The catalyst was very clean, efficient, simple and cheap to produce, and could be clearly separated from the reaction products. When the reaction was carried out under the conditions of catalyst to oil ratio of 7.09 wt%, reaction time of 12 h and temperature of 170 °C, methanol to oil molar ratio of 18:1 and catalyst preconditioned at 550 °C, the yield of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) obtained was 92.5 wt%.
ISSN:0926-860X
1873-3875
DOI:10.1016/j.apcata.2009.09.020