Separation of the Glycerol-Biodiesel Phases in an Ethyl Transesterification Synthetic Route Using Water

Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society

Shimamoto, Gustavo G.¹  Tubino, Matthieu¹  Souza, Patrícia T. de¹  Universidade de Campinas, Campinas, BR¹  Silva, Willian L. G. da¹ 

关键词:  biodiesel;    transesterification;    ethanol;    methanol;    water;    phase separation;   

DOI  :  10.5935/0103-5053.20150147

学科分类：化学（综合）

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

Biodiesel is obtained by the transesterification of vegetable oil (or fat) and alcohol, with methanol being the most used alcohol. Methanol can be replaced by ethanol; however, this alcohol acts as a surfactant in the reaction mixture, promoting a stable dispersion of the glycerol in biodiesel, which hinders the separation of the glycerol-biodiesel phases. In this study, it was found that the addition of 1% v/v water relative to the total volume of the reaction mixture expedites the separation of the phases by interrupting the emulsifying action of ethanol with an immediate separation of glycerol from biodiesel. The characterization of the produced biodiesels was performed using hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and gas chromatography (GC). 1H NMR indicated a 96.9% conversion of triglycerides to biodiesel. The fatty acid compositions of the synthesized ethyl and methyl biodiesels determined using GC are essentially the same.

【 授权许可】

Unknown