Abstract
In this study, SnCl4 was chosen as a solid catalyst for esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) in Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed oil (ZSO). A central composite rotatable design was used to investigate the effect of the methanol-to-oil molar ratio, catalyst amount and reaction time on the SnCl4-catalyzed esterification of FFA. The methanol-to-oil molar ratio and reaction time clearly affected the conversion efficiency of FFA in the test ranges. Response surface methodology was used to optimize the conditions for SnCl4-catalyzed esterification. A quadratic polynomial equation was obtained for conversion efficiency of FFA by multiple regression analysis and verification experiments confirmed the validity of the predicted model. Under the optimum conditions, the conversion efficiency of FFA in vegetable oil reached above 96 %. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of SnCl4 as an acid catalyst for the reduction of high FFA content in vegetable oils to a low level by one-step esterification.
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Abbreviations
- CCRD:
-
Central composite rotatable design
- FAME:
-
Fatty acid methyl esters
- FFA:
-
Free fatty acids
- RSM:
-
Response surface methodology
- ZSO:
-
Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed oil
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Northwest A&F University Key Research Project for Young Staff (project number: Z111020903) and the Program for New Century Excellent Young Talents of Shaanxi Province (Project number: 2011kjxx36).
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Zhang, J., Liu, J. & Ma, H. Esterification of Free Fatty Acids in Zanthoxylum bungeanum Seed Oil for Biodiesel Production by Stannic Chloride. J Am Oil Chem Soc 89, 1647–1653 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-012-2067-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-012-2067-1