Sol-gel synthesized lithium orthosilicate as a reusable solid catalyst for biodiesel production
Hoang Chinh Nguyen
Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Search for more papers by this authorJing-Wei Pan
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Tatung University, Taipei City, Taiwan
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Chia-Hung Su
Graduate School of Biochemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Correspondence
Chia-Hung Su, Graduate School of Biochemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, Taipei 24301, Taiwan.
Email: [email protected]
Hwai Chyuan Ong, School of Information, Systems and Modelling, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Jeng-Yu Lin, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Tatung University, Taipei City, Taiwan. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Hwai Chyuan Ong
School of Information, Systems and Modelling, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia
Correspondence
Chia-Hung Su, Graduate School of Biochemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, Taipei 24301, Taiwan.
Email: [email protected]
Hwai Chyuan Ong, School of Information, Systems and Modelling, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Jeng-Yu Lin, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Tatung University, Taipei City, Taiwan. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorJia-Ming Chern
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Tatung University, Taipei City, Taiwan
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Jeng-Yu Lin
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Tatung University, Taipei City, Taiwan
Correspondence
Chia-Hung Su, Graduate School of Biochemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, Taipei 24301, Taiwan.
Email: [email protected]
Hwai Chyuan Ong, School of Information, Systems and Modelling, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Jeng-Yu Lin, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Tatung University, Taipei City, Taiwan. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorHoang Chinh Nguyen
Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Search for more papers by this authorJing-Wei Pan
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Tatung University, Taipei City, Taiwan
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Chia-Hung Su
Graduate School of Biochemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Correspondence
Chia-Hung Su, Graduate School of Biochemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, Taipei 24301, Taiwan.
Email: [email protected]
Hwai Chyuan Ong, School of Information, Systems and Modelling, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Jeng-Yu Lin, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Tatung University, Taipei City, Taiwan. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Hwai Chyuan Ong
School of Information, Systems and Modelling, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia
Correspondence
Chia-Hung Su, Graduate School of Biochemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, Taipei 24301, Taiwan.
Email: [email protected]
Hwai Chyuan Ong, School of Information, Systems and Modelling, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Jeng-Yu Lin, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Tatung University, Taipei City, Taiwan. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorJia-Ming Chern
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Tatung University, Taipei City, Taiwan
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Jeng-Yu Lin
Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Tatung University, Taipei City, Taiwan
Correspondence
Chia-Hung Su, Graduate School of Biochemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, Taipei 24301, Taiwan.
Email: [email protected]
Hwai Chyuan Ong, School of Information, Systems and Modelling, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Jeng-Yu Lin, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Tatung University, Taipei City, Taiwan. Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorFunding information: Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of Taiwan, R.O.C, Grant/Award Numbers: 108-2218-E-036-001-MY3, 107-3113-E-036-001
Summary
Lithium orthosilicate (Li4SiO4) is a promising solid catalyst for biodiesel synthesis. However, Li4SiO4 is traditionally prepared by a solid-state reaction, which results in the unstable activity for the reaction. In the present study, Li4SiO4 was successfully prepared using a simple sol-gel method and employed as an efficient solid alkali catalyst for biodiesel synthesis. The molar ratio of precursors and calcination temperature were optimized for the synthesis of Li4SiO4 by using the sol-gel method. The physical and chemical properties were determined using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, laser diffraction particle size, and thermogravimetric analysis. The as-prepared Li4SiO4 catalyst had much smaller particle size, pore volume, and pore size, but higher surface area and basicity than Li4SiO4 catalyst prepared by the solid-state reaction. It was then used to transesterify methanol and soybean oil into biodiesel. The effect of reaction factors (reaction time from 1 to 3 hours, catalyst concentration from 3 to 9%; molar ratio of methanol to oil from 6:1 to 18:1, and temperature from 55°C to 75°C) on the Li4SiO4-catalyzed transesterification was systematically examined. The highest biodiesel conversion of 91% was reached under the following conditions: reaction time of 2 hours, Li4SiO4 concentration of 6%, 12:1 methanol:oil molar ratio, and temperature of 65°C. Notably, Li4SiO4 could be efficiently reused for at least 10 times without significant loss of its activity; this suggests that the sol-gel synthesized Li4SiO4 is a potential solid alkali catalyst for biodiesel synthesis.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.
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