Methanolysis of Simarouba Glauca DC oil with hydrotalcite-type ZnCuAl catalysts

• Published in: Catalysis today 2020-06, Vol.349, p.48-56
• Main Authors: Salinas Hernández, Pastora, Morales Anzures, Fernando, Pérez Hernández, Raúl, Tzompzntzi Morales, Francisco, Romero Romo, Mario A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biodiesel; LDHs; Transesterification
• ISSN: 0920-5861; 1873-4308
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2018.06.034

Production of biodiesel from the methanolysis of Simarouba Glauca DC oil via heterogeneous catalysis using ZnCuAl hydrotalcite type catalysts. [Display omitted] •The calcination of the catalyst at 300 °C generated a greater number of basic sites of médium strength.•The highest catalytic activity in the ZCA-300 was due to the basic sites of médium strength, obtaining a 94.8% conversión.•The main advantage of methanolysis via heterogeneous catalysis is to obtain much purer biodiesel and glycerin.•The activity of the ZCA-300 catalyst was stable up to three reaction cycles, with a yield decrease to biodiesel of 6.5%.•The decrease in activity was caused by the partial segregation of metallic Cu to the catalyst surface, observed by XRD. The methanolysis of Simarouba Glauca DC oil, was studied using ZnCuAl layered double hydroxides catalysts prepared through urea hydrolysis. The influence of calcination temperature was investigated over the textural properties and catalytic activity of the ZnCuAl catalysts. The solids were pretreated at different calcination temperatures, followed by their characterization by means of XRD, SEM, FT-IR, CO2-TPD, decomposition of 2-propanol and their textural properties assessed with the aid of N2 adsorption and elemental analysis with ICP-MS. The reaction products were studied through FT-IR and gas chromatography. The XRD results showed formation of a hydrotalcite-type material after drying at 100 °C, although thermal treatment at temperatures greater than 200 °C led to formation of a metal oxides mixture. FT-IR allowed checking the evolution of the OH–, CO32– and NO3– groups after thermal treatment, which caused main changes on the basic propeties of the catalysts, evidenced through the CO2-TPD and decomposition of 2-propanol results. The catalyst calcined at 300 °C rendered a larger yield toward biodiesel production during methanolysis of the Simarouba Glauca DC oil, which is atributed to the presence of a larger concentration of medium strength basic sites. The ZnCuAl-300 catalyst showed a 6% decrease in the yield toward biodiesel production after being subjected to three reaction cycles, which was attributed to the partial segregation of metallic Cu to the catalyst surface, corroborated by XRD.