Process for the transesterification of soybean oil to biodiesel using Na2C03 loaded on γ-Al2O3

Abstract

Biodiesel, consisting of methyl esters of long chain fatty acids produced by transesterification of vegetable oils or animal fats with methanol. is a promising alternative diesel fuel regarding the environmental concerns and the limited recourses of fossil fuels. In this article, an environmentally benign process for the transesterification of soybean oil to biodiesel using Na2C03 loaded on γ-Al2O3 as a solid-base catalyst was developed. The catalyst loaded Na2CO3 of 40 wt.% on γ-Al2O3, after being calcined at 300^oC for 4 h, was found to be the optimum catalyst, which can give the best catalytic activity for this reaction. The effects of various reaction variables such as the catalyst loading, oil to methanol ratio, reaction time and temperature on the conversion of soybean oil were investigated. The catalysts were characterized by means of XRD, TPD-NH3 and SEM method. The results indicated that the catalysts consist two phases: the activity phase Na2CO3 distributes in the pores of γ-Al2O3.