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Biodiesel Production via Esterification of Palm Fatty Acid Distillate Using Sulphonated Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes as a Solid Acid Catalyst: Process Study, Catalyst Reusability and Kinetic Study

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Abstract

This study reports on biodiesel production via the esterification of palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) using sulphonated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (s-MWCNTs) as a catalyst. The process parameters studied included the methanol-to-PFAD ratio (8–30), catalyst loading (1–3 wt%), reaction temperature (80–200 °C) and reaction time (1–5 h). A fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield of 93.5 % was obtained at a methanol-to-PFAD ratio of 20, catalyst loading of 3 wt%, reaction temperature of 170 °C and reaction time of 2 h. The s-MWCNTs exhibited good catalytic activity, with a FAME yield higher than 75 % even after five repeated runs. Moreover, the regeneration of the spent s-MWCNTs (after five runs) with sulphuric acid was able to restore the catalytic activity to its original level. The catalyst stability and activity were enhanced by acid regeneration to achieve a FAME yield of 86.2 %, even at the fifth cycle of reaction after acid regeneration. A pseudo-homogeneous kinetic model for the esterification of PFAD with methanol using s-MWCNTs as a catalyst was then developed based on the experimental results. The pre-exponential factor, molar heat and activation energy for the esterification were found to be 1.9 × 102 L mol−1 min−1, 84.1 kJ mol−1 and 45.8 kJ mol−1, respectively.

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Acknowledgments

Siew Hoong Shuit acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia through the MyPhD Fellowship. This research was also financially supported by the Universiti Sains Malaysia Research University (RU) grant (A/C:814142), the USM Membrane Cluster Grant and the Postgraduate Research Grant Scheme (PRGS) (A/C: 8044028).

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  1. School of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, Seri Ampangan, 14300, Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

    Siew Hoong Shuit & Soon Huat Tan

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Correspondence to Soon Huat Tan.

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Shuit, S.H., Tan, S.H. Biodiesel Production via Esterification of Palm Fatty Acid Distillate Using Sulphonated Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes as a Solid Acid Catalyst: Process Study, Catalyst Reusability and Kinetic Study. Bioenerg. Res. 8, 605–617 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-014-9545-2

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