A preliminary study of acid catalyzed transesterification of a Jatropha-like bio-oil

This project aimed to develop a better understanding of acid catalyzed transesterification using various catalysts and evaluating the biodiesel reaction yield using simulated Jatropha oil made from Sesame seed oil, which has a similar composition. Five zeolites were compared: Y, 13-X, beta, mordenite, and ZSM-5. Non-catalyzed and homogeneously catalyzed reactions, with H2SO4, also were evaluated. Zeolites that were not in the hydrogen form were ion-exchanged, and were then analyzed by Energy-Dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy. Three alcohol-to-oil ratios were tested at atmospheric pressure and T = 115 °C for each catalyst in order to determine the influence of this parameter. All experiments were conducted in an airtight autoclave with butan-1-ol in order to obtain a biofuel whose cetane index was higher than regular petroleum-based diesels. Among the zeolites tested, the Y-type was the most efficient solid acid catalyst, and the final conversion reached after 3 h with a butanol-to-oil molar ratio of 15:1 was around 61%.