Sugar Catalysts for Biodiesel Production
As fossil fuel reserves start to run dry, alternative fuel sources such as biodiesel, which is made from renewable biological material, are needed. Researchers at the South China University of Technology, Guangzhou have used a sugar catalyst to prepare biodiesel from waste vegetable oil. Sugar catalysts, made by the sulfonation of partially carbonized D-glucose, have previously been used for making biodiesel from new vegetable oils, but had never been successfully used in making biodiesel from waste oil. A number of solid acid catalysts, such as zeolites, have found limited success in converting waste oil to biodiesel, but they can't operate effectively under the required harsh conditions. Sulfated zirconia has shown to be a very effective catalyst for the reaction, but the cost of the rare zirconium metal is prohibitive. The research showed that the sugar catalysts have a higher activity than zeolites, and are cheaper to prepare than the zirconia catalysts. For more information, contact: Min-Hua Zong Department of Biotechnology, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, P.R. China, Email: btmhzong@scut.edu.cn
Sector: Renewable Energy Technologies
Country: India
Area of Application: Renewable energy
Keywords: Sugar catalyst, Zeolites, Biodiesel
Advantages: 1. It is possible to make biodiesel from waste vegetable oil using sugar catalysts in this method. 2. Cost-effective
Environmental aspects: Energy efficiency
Development Status: Commercial Prototype
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Transfer Terms: Consultancy
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