Performance Evaluation of Carbon-based Heterogeneous Acid Catalyst Derived From Hura crepitans Seed Pod for Esterificati
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Performance Evaluation of Carbon-based Heterogeneous Acid Catalyst Derived From Hura crepitans Seed Pod for Esterification of High FFA Vegetable Oil Ikechukwu Martin Ogbu 1,2 & Vincent Ishmael Egbulefu Ajiwe 2 & Chukwunonso Peter Okoli 1,3 Published online: 27 August 2018 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract Efficient and recyclable heterogeneous catalysts from low-cost material is a research target in biodiesel industry to reduce production cost and minimize waste generation. The performance of carbon-based heterogeneous acid catalysts prepared from Hura crepitans seed pod via partial carbonization and sulfonation was evaluated in this study. Different catalysts, 0HuSO3H, 30HuSO3H, 60HuSO3H, 90HuSO3H, and 120HuSO3H, obtained by varying preparation conditions were characterized using emission scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and thermogravimetric and titrimetric analyses. The activity of the catalysts towards esterification of high free fatty acid-containing H. crepitans seed oil was assessed. Effects of process parameters, temperature, catalyst load, methanol/oil ratio, reaction time, and their various optimum levels on the esterification reaction, were investigated using Taguchi L9 orthogonal array method of optimization. The results showed that the H. crepitans seed pod-derived solid acid catalysts exhibited superior catalytic properties primarily due to high acid density (2.0 mmol/ g). The resident time of carbonization before sulfonation showed a strong influence on the acid site density, pore sizes, hydrophobicity, and acid site retention capacity. The optimum process conditions as predicted by the optimization model gave 94.81% ester conversion. The catalyst was effective up to four cycles with only 1.44% decrease in activity. Keywords Hura crepitans . Seed pod . Solid catalysts . Esterification . Taguchi design . Optimization
Introduction Biodiesel is among the renewable alternative fuels that are currently implemented [1, 2]. Compatibility with existing diesel engines, simple production process, low in pollutants, and greenhouse gas emissions are among the fascinating things about biodiesel as alternative fuel to diesel engines [3–7]. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s12155-018-9938-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Ikechukwu Martin Ogbu [email protected] 1
Department of Chemistry/Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
2
Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
3
Department of Chemistry, Vaal University of Science and Technology, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
The use of biodiesel can ameliorate global warming and environmental pollution associated with combustion of fossil fuels [7]. Key challenges facing biodiesel industry however include availability of sustaina
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