Solid acid catalyst for biodiesel production via esterification from oleic acid

Abstract

Esterification of oleic acid with methanol using treated solid residue as a catalyst was studied for biodiesel production. The solid acid catalyst was prepared by sulfonation of p-toluenesulfonic acid on corncob waste obtained from butanol production. Its activity was compared with the corncob activated by concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4). The result from gas chromatrography showed that the catalyst activated by TsOH can catalyze the reaction faster than that activated by H2SO4, at reaction temperature of 60°C for 2 h. The characterization results from an acid-base titration method and surface area analysis indicated that TsOH treated catalyst have lower acid sites than H2SO4; however, it exhibited higher specific surface area and pore specific volume.