Study on partial carbonization of starch for preparing carbon based catalyst used in rubber seed oil methanolysis

Abstract

Carbon based catalyst was prepared through partial carbonization of starch followed by sulfonation of product called “black powder” after the carbonization. The synthesized catalyst possessed very sưong acid sites classifted as a typical superacid assigned for -SO3ỈỈ groups located by valence bonds on the catalyst surface. Some parameters such as temperature and time of carbonization were conưolled for optimizing the black powder properties and the catalyst activity. The catalyst was tested with rubber seed oil methanolysis in a batch process with reaction parameters such as temperature of 120 °c, time of 5 hours, methanol/oil volume ratio of 1/1 and catalyst dosage of 10 % oil weight. Conditions for the process of paitial carbonization have been optimized as follow; temperature 400 ®c, carbonization time 90 min. The yield of methyl esters after methanolysis was 95.8 % proving favourable catalyst activity.