Catalisadores à base de Mg/La e de Al/La para a produção de biodiesel a partir de óleos refinados e ácidos

Abstract

The growing concern for environmental preservation combined with the possibility of depletion of energy obtained from fossil fuels has driven industry to develop alternative fuels from renewable resources and environmentally non-aggressive processes. Biodiesel, a mixture of fatty acid esters obtained by catalytic transesterification of vegetable oils with short chain alcohols (methanol or ethanol) is an important alternative fuel, because of its properties (cetane number, energy content and viscosity) are similar to diesel derived from oil. In this study, the transesterification of soybean oil with methanol to produce biodiesel was studied in the presence of solid catalysts based on Mg/Al and Al/La with acid-base properties. Catalysts containing Mg/La with an Mg/La molar ratio equal to 9:1 were prepared by coprecipitation using three methods that differed according to precipitant type, and calcination temperature. The catalyst prepared with (NH4)2CO3/NH4OH as precipitating agent and calcined at 450 °C presented the best physico-chemical and catalytic properties. Catalysts based on Mg/Al and Al/La with different chemical compositions were synthesized under the selected conditions of preparation. The catalytic behavior of these materials was investigated by transesterification reaction of soybean oil with methanol. The Al,La-catalyst with an Al/La molar ratio equal to 9:1 showed the best catalytic performance (fatty acid methyl esters yield equal to 84 % at 180 °C) and can be reused for at least three reaction cycles. Catalytic tests were also carried on in the presence of soybean oil containing 10 % of oleic acid. It was verified that the catalysts used have sites capable of catalyzing esterification and transesterification reactions