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Journal
of
Power
Sources
j ou rn a l h o m e pa g e :w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / j p o w s o u r
Magnesium
oxide
prepared
via
metal–chitosan
complexation
method:
Application
as
catalyst
for
transesterification
of
soybean
oil
and
catalyst
deactivation
studies
Gizelle
I.
Almerindo
a,
Luiz
F.D.
Probst
a,
Carlos
E.M.
Campos
b,
Rusiene
M.
de
Almeida
c,∗,
Simoni
M.P.
Meneghetti
c, Mario
R.
Meneghetti
c,
Jean-Marc
Clacens
d,
Humberto
V.
Fajardo
e aDepartamentodeQuímica,UniversidadeFederaldeSantaCatarina,88040-900,Florianópolis–SC,BrazilbDepartamentodeFísica,UniversidadeFederaldeSantaCatarina,88040-900,Florianópolis–SC,Brazil cInstitutodeQuímicaeBiotecnologia,UniversidadeFederaldeAlagoas,5702-970,Maceió–AL,Brazil
dLaboratoiredeCatalyseenChimieOrganique(LACCO),UniversitédePoitiers,UMRCNRS6503,40AvenueduRecteurPineau,86022PoitiersCedex,France eDepartamentodeQuímica,UniversidadeFederaldeOuroPreto,35400-000,OuroPreto–MG,Brazil
a
r
t
i
c
l
e
i
n
f
o
Articlehistory: Received17March2011
Receivedinrevisedform5May2011 Accepted12May2011
Available online 19 May 2011 Keywords: Magnesiumoxide Chitosan Ethanol Biodiesel
a
b
s
t
r
a
c
t
Asimplemethodtopreparemagnesiumoxidecatalystsforbiodieselproductionbytransesterification
reactionofsoybeanoilwithethanolisproposed.Themethodwasdevelopedusingametal–chitosan
complex.Comparedtothecommercialoxide,theproposedcatalystsdisplayedhighersurfaceareaand
basicityvalues,leadingtohigheryieldintermsoffattyacidethylesters(biodiesel).Thedeactivationof
thecatalystduetocontactwithCO2andH2Opresentintheambientairwasverified.Itwasconfirmed
thattheactivecatalyticsiteisahydrogenocarbonateadsorptionsite.
© 2011 Elsevier B.V.
1. Introduction
Magnesium oxide (MgO) is a potential catalyst for various reactions due to the unique basic character of its surface, as demonstrated by an isoelectric point of around 12 [1–7]. For thisreasonMgOcancatalyzethetransesterificationreactionsof vegetableoilstobiodieselwithshort-chainalcohols.Beinga het-erogeneouscatalyst,MgOcouldimprovethesynthesismethods byeliminatingtheadditionalcostsassociatedwithconventionally usedhomogeneouscatalysts[8–12].Inthisregard,the heteroge-neouscatalystsareeconomicallyandecologicallyimportantwhen comparedwithhomogeneouscatalystsbecausetheyare environ-mentallybenign,mucheasiertoseparatefromliquidproducts,they facilitatethepurificationstages,canbereused,arenon-corrosive, havehighthermalstabilityandpresentfewerdisposalproblems
[11].
Manytypesof heterogeneouscatalystsfor theproductionof biodieselcanbefoundintheliterature,forexample,alkalineearth oxidesandseveralalkalinemetalcompoundssupportedon alu-minaorzeolite[11].Manyofthesecatalystshavehighefficiency
∗ Correspondingauthor.Tel.:+558232141773;fax:+558232141384. E-mailaddress:rusiene@hotmail.com(R.M.deAlmeida).
andactivityinthetransesterificationreaction,however,under con-ditionsofhightemperatureandpressure,andwithlongreaction times.
Therefore,itisofinteresttoinvestigatethepossibilityof replac-ing the homogeneous base catalysts by solid base catalysts in transesterificationreactionsassociatedwithlowertemperatures andshorterreactiontimesthanthosenormallyfoundinthe lit-eratureforheterogeneouscatalysts.Intheliterature,highmethyl esteryieldswiththeuseofheterogeneouscatalystsarealso associ-atedwiththereactionoccurringathightemperatures(170–250◦C) andwithlongerreactiontimes,inacontinuousorbatchreactor
[8].However,publishedstudyshowedthatnanocrystallineMgO catalystscanbeusedeffectivelyasheterogeneouscatalystsinthe methylictransesterificationofvegetableoilsatlowtemperatures
[1].
Anotherimportantfactoristhepossibilitytostorethecatalysts andguaranteetheircatalyticactivityforimmediateuse.However, basecatalystscanlosetheiractivityoncontactwithambientairdue totheadsorptionofCO2andH2Oatthesurfaceofthesolidas
car-bonatesandhydroxylgroups[13].Granadosetal.[14]investigated theeffectofCO2 inairontheactivityofCaOinthe
transesterifi-cationofsunfloweroil.ThisCaOcatalystgraduallylostitsactivity becauseitssurfacesiteswerepoisonedbycontactwithCO2and
H2Oinair.However,theeffectsofH2OandCO2onthecatalytic
0378-7753© 2011 Elsevier B.V. doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2011.05.030
Open access under the Elsevier OA license.
propertiesofbasecatalystsandthedeactivationmechanismhave notbeenfullyinvestigated[15].
Morespecifically,shortchainalcohols(methanolorethanol)are normallyusedintheproductionofbiodiesel,however,few stud-iesinvolvingheterogeneouscatalysisintheproductionofethylic biodieselarefoundintheliterature[16].Ethanolhasseveral advan-tagescomparedtomethanol,whichisgenerallyobtainedfromraw materialsoffossilorigin,withlowtoxicity, producingbiodiesel witha greatercetaneindex and withgreater lubricity,but the mostimportantis probablyitsrenewable origin[17–19]. How-ever,ethanol is less reactive,requiring a greater excess of this alcoholtoobtainyieldssimilartothoseobtainedwithmethanol. Furthermore,longerreactiontimesarerequired,higher temper-atures,anhydridealcohol,andoilwithlowwatercontentforthe separationofglycerol[20].
TheobjectiveofthisstudywastoprepareMgOcatalystsforthe transesterificationreactionofsoybeanoilwithethanolforthe pro-ductionofbiodiesel.InthispaperweverifiedthepotentialofMgO asatransesterificationcatalyst,preparedusingametal–chitosan complexationmethod,andcomparedittothatofacommercial magnesiumoxide.Thedeactivationofthecatalystpreparedusing themethodhereproposedduetocontactwiththeCO2andH2O
presentinambientairwasalsoverified.
2. Experimental
2.1. Samplepreparationandcharacterization
FortheMgOextrudatepreparation,15.3gofchitosan(Aldrich) weredissolved in 300mLof CH3COOH solution (10%,v/v) and
31.8gofMg(NO3)2·6H2O(Vetec)weredissolvedindistilledwater.
Anaqueoussolutionofmagnesiumsalt(Mg)wasthenaddedto thepolymersolutionunderstirring.ThechitosanmonomertoMg molarratiowas1.5–2.0.TheMg–chitosansolutionwasaddedto aNH4OHsolution(50%,v/v)undervigorousstirring,intheform
ofextrudates,withaperistalticpump.Thegelextrudatesformed wereremovedfromtheNH4OHsolutionanddriedatambient
tem-peraturefor120h.TheMgOsamplewasobtainedbycalciningthe driedsamplesat550◦Cinairflowfor4hwithaheatingrateof 5◦Cmin−1.
Inthiscontext,theMgOpreparedasdescribedabovewas com-paredwithcommercialMgOobtainedfromRiedel-deHaën(99.9% purity).Theseweredesignatedasfreshcatalysts,sincethecatalytic testwascarriedoutimmediatelyaftercalcination.Inorderto ver-ifytheeffectofstorageonthedeactivationofthecatalystobtained usingthemethoddescribedabove,itwasexposedforaperiodof 180daysinambientairtoextendthecarbonationandhydration processes.ThiscatalystwascalledMgO(stored).
Infrared spectrawere obtainedfrom 400to 4000cm−1; the samples (2mg dried chitosan and Mg–chitosan samples) were mechanicallyblendedwith200mgofKBr.Thedatawererecorded usinganFTPerkin-Elmer16PCinfraredspectrophotometer.
The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed with a Shimadzu TGA-50 thermobalance using 11mg of sample (Mg–chitosan)withaheatingrateof10◦Cmin−1 andairflowof 50mLmin−1.
Samples were characterized by N2 adsorption/desorption
isothermsobtainedat thetemperatureof liquid nitrogenusing an automated physisorption instrument (Autosorb-1C, Quan-tachromeInstruments).Priortothemeasurements,thesamples wereoutgassedinavacuumat200◦Cfor2h.Specificsurfaceareas werecalculatedaccordingtotheBrunauer–Emmett–Teller(BET) method,andtheporesizedistributionswereobtainedaccording totheBarret–Joyner–Halenda(BJH)methodfromtheadsorption data.
Temperatureprogrammeddesorption(TPD)ofCO2
measure-mentswereperformedusingaQuantachromeChemBET3000. The crystalline structure of the dried powder sample was determinedbyX-raydiffraction(XRD)withaPanAnalytical diffrac-tometer (Xpert PRO model) using Cu K␣ (=1.5418 ˚A) as the incidentradiation,operatingat40kVand30mA.Tobetterdefine thestructuralparametersobtainedfromtheXRDpatternaRietveld analysisprocedurewasperformedusingtheGSASsoftware pro-gram and a starting model based on information given onthe ICSDcardnumber52026[21–23].Theaveragecrystallitesizeand microstrainwerecalculatedbysubtractingtheinstrumentalline broadeningcontributionusingtheyttriumoxidestandardandthe formalismpresentedbyLarsonandVonDreele[21].
Thesample morphology wasobserved onscanning electron micrographs,obtainedwithaPhilipsXL30scanningelectron micro-scopeoperatingatanacceleratingvoltageof20kV.
Thermogravimetricanalysiscoupledwithmassspectrometry (TG-MS)wereperformedonaSDTQ600apparatusfromTA Insru-mentscoupledbyaheatedcapillarycolumnwithaPrismaQMS200 massspectrometerfromBalzers.TomeasuretheamountofCO2
(m/z=44)andH2O(m/z=18)formed,thesampleswereheatedto
900◦C(heatingrate:10◦Cmin−1)underadriedair(100mLmin−1).
2.2. Catalytictest–transesterificationexperiments
Alltransesterification reactionswerecarriedoutin a250mL closedbatchreactorequippedwithatemperature-controlledbath, refluxcondenser and amagnetic stirreroperating at 1000rpm. Thereactionswerenormallyperformedat150◦Cduring3hwith ethanol:oil:catalystmolarratioof600:100:5.Soybeanoil (com-mercialgrade)wassuppliedbyBungeAlimentosS.Aandwasused asreceived.Afterofreaction,thereactionmixturewaswashed threetimeswithdistilledwaterandcentrifugedat5000rpmfor 10min.
Inordertoquantitativelyevaluatetheleachingofsolidbase catalystunderthereactingcondition,fattyacidethylesters frac-tionwassentforelementalanalysisviaflameatomicabsorption analysis(FLLA).
2.3. Analyticalprocedures
Thefattyacidethylesters(FAEEs)obtainedfromthe transester-ificationreactionweredeterminedbygaschromatographyusinga Varian3400CXinstrument,equippedwithacapillaryinjection sys-temoperatingat240◦C,withasplitratioof100:1andsamplesize of1L.AnapolarcapillarycolumnVF-1ms(FactorFour),with2.2m length,0.32mminternaldiameterand0.1mmfilmthickness,was employedandthecolumntemperatureprogramwas:initial tem-peratureof50◦C(1min),15◦Cmin−1to180◦C,7◦Cmin−1to230◦C and30◦Cmin−1to245◦C.Thedetectionsystemwasequippedwith aflameionizationdetector(FID)operatingat250◦C.Thecarriergas washighpurityhydrogen.
Theyield(%FAEEs)wasquantifiedinthepresenceoftricaprylin as the internal standard. Approximately0.15g of the products obtainedusingthetransesterificationproceduredescribedin Sec-tion2 wasweighedin a vial.Anamountof1mLof tricaprylin solution (0.01g/100mL hexane) was added. This solution was injectedintothechromatographicapparatusandthepeakareas ofthecompoundswereintegrated.
Each experiment was run twiceand thevalue obtained for eachsamplewastheaverageoftwoinjections.Thebiodieselyield (%FAEEs)wascalculatedasintheEq.(1).
%FAEEs= mtricaprylinA ABftricaprylin
where,mtricaprylinistheweightoftheinternalstandard,ABthepeak
areaofFAEEs,ftricaprylintheresponsefactor,Atricaprylinthepeakarea
oftheinternalstandard,andmsthesampleweight.
Thefreefattyacidsfoundinthesoybeanoil(characterizedas oleicacid,inthepercentagesgivenintheAOCSofficialmethodCa 5a-40)totaled0.1%.
3. Resultsanddiscussion
3.1. Samplecharacterization
Theinfrared spectraforchitosan (Cht)and theMg–chitosan composite(Mg–Cht)takenbeforethecalcinationprocess(Fig.1) wereanalysed inorder toobtaininformation onthefunctional groupsthatparticipateinthebindingorinteractionwithMgin theintermediatestageoftheporousMgOextrudatepreparation.
Inpolymericassociationshydroxylgroupsabsorbintheformof abroadbandataround3400cm−1[24].Thebandsintheregion of3440cm−1 in thetwo spectraareassociated withstretching of the OH groups overlapped with N–H stretching of the chi-tosanbiopolymer.Therewasnodisplacementinrelationtothe wavenumberindicating thattheintermolecular interactions,by way of thebiopolymer hydrogen bonds,were maintained. The decreaseintheintensityofthebandin3440cm−1 onthe spec-trumforthecompound(Mg–chitosan)isdue totheinteraction ofMgwiththeoxygenatomsofthehydroxylgroupsaswellas of theaminegroups of thebiopolymer boundtothe glycoside ring.Inaddition,bandsat 1650and 1600cm−1 onthechitosan spectrumwere,respectively,associatedwiththeC Ostretching vibrationofsecondaryamidegroupsfromthepartially deacety-latedchitinresiduesandwiththeN–Hdeformationvibrationsof theprimaryaminesofchitosan[25].Thereductionofthesebands oftheMg–chitosancomplexisrelatedtotheinteractionofMgwith carbonylgroupsfromthepartiallydeacetylatedchitinresiduesas wellastheinteractionofthemanganeseionwithaminegroups. Duetotheincompletedeacetylationofchitosan(90%)mentioned previouslythebandat1380cm−1,whichisattributedtotheC–H deformationoftheCH3group,isassociatedwiththefew
remain-ingacetamidegroupspresentinthepolymericchain[25].Itcan thus benoted that theamine groups of chitosan are themain effectivebondingsitesforthemetallicions,resultingincomplexes stabilizedbycoordination.Nitrogenelectronspresentintheamine
500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 0 20 40 60 80 100 Cht-Mg Cht Transmittance (%) Wavenumber (cm-1)
Fig.1.Infraredspectraofchitosan(Cht)andchitosan–Mg(Mg–Cht)composite beforeheat-treatmentprocess.Inset:chemicalstructureofchitosan.
800 600 400 200 0 0 50 100 Cht-Mg Cht Mass (%) Temperature (ºC) 1000 800 600 400 200 0 -0,020 -0,015 -0,010 -0,005 0,000 Mg-Cht Cht DTG Temperature (ºC)
a
b
Fig.2. Thermogravimetricanalysisofchitosan(Cht)andchitosan–Mg(Cht–Mg).
andN-acetylaminegroupscanestablishcoordinatecovalentbonds withmetalionsandsomehydroxylgroupspresentinchitosancan actasdonors[26].Theinfraredspectra(IR)confirmthe modifi-cationofcertaincharacteristicregionsofthefunctionalgroupsof thebiopolymer,mainlythosewhicharesusceptibletointeraction withtheMgsalt,withoutmodifyingthesemicrystallinechitosan structure.
Thethermogravimetric(TGA/DTG)profilesareshowinFig.2a andb.Itcanbeseenthattheeliminationofresidualmaterialis dependentonthesamplecomposition(chitosanorMg–chitosan composite).Thepresenceofmagnesiumleadstotheremovalof carbonaceous materialsat lowertemperatures. TheTGA profile suggestsatemperatureof550◦Cforthetotaleliminationofthe residualmaterialoftheMg–chitosancompoundand580◦Cforthe purechitosan.TheTGAandIRresultsconfirmtheformationofa novelmaterial.
AssummarizedinTable1,thepreparationmethodledtoa sam-plewithbettertexturalproperties,suchasspecificsurfacearea and pore volume,than thecommercialsample(MgO(C)). Thus, thebiopolymermustbeusedwiththeprecursormaterial,which iseliminatedduringthethermaltreatmentgeneratingthepores (215 ˚A)thatcontributetotheobservedincreaseinsurfacearea[27]. Thesurfaceareaandporevolumeareconsideredtobeimportant parametersaffectingtheoverallperformanceofacatalyst.
Table1
TextureparameterscalculatedfromN2adsorptionisothermsandcatalytic perfor-mancesatethanol:oil:catalystmolarratioof600:100:5,at150◦C/3h.
Catalyst SBET(m2g−1) VBJH(cm3g−1) %FAEEs
MgO* 54.4 0.292 75
MgO(C)* 14.2 0.024 30
MgO(stored) 40 0.250 14
SBET=specific surface area; VBHJ=pore volume; MgO(C)=commercial oxide; %FAEEs=biodieselyield.
* Freshcatalysts.
TheXRDpatternofthefreshMgOpowder(Fig.3)showsvery strong,slightlybroadenedpeaks,consistentwithnanometric-sized fcc MgO crystals (space group Fm-3m) with lattice parameters (4.22203 ˚A).TheaveragesizeandmicrostrainoftheMgO crystal-liteswere150 ˚Aand1.4%,respectively.
Scanningelectronmicroscopy(SEM)wascarriedoutinorder toobservethemorphologiesofthesamplesobtained(MgOfresh). TheSEMimageshowninFig.4revealsthatthesampleprepared usingthemethodheredevelopedhasaporousaspect,consistent withthehighervaluesforspecificsurfaceareaandporevolume obtainedfromthephysicalmeasurementofN2.Duringthe
calci-120 100 80 60 40 20 0 8 16 Intensity (x 10 3 cts) 2 θ (degrees)
Fig.3.XRD:experimental(noisyline)andcalculated(thickline)XRDpatternsof freshMgOsampleproducedbymetal–chitosancomplexationmethod.Greyline representsthedifferencebetweenexperimentalandcalculatedpatterns.
Fig.4. Scanningelectronmicroscopy(SEM)imageofMgO.
Fig.5.Scanningelectronmicroscopy(SEM)imagefortheMgO(stored).
nationsteptheeliminationofvolatilematerialsoccurs,andcavities areproducedasaresultoftheirremoval.Atthesametime,asolid rearrangementtakesplace,formingthecrystallinematrix. How-ever,thesamplestoredforaperiodof180daysinambientairdoes notshowthesameaspect,asshowninFig.5,possiblyduetothe chemisorptionofCO2andH2Oatthesurfacesitesas
hydrogeno-carbonatespecies.
TG-MScouplinganalysesof MgOand MgO(C)are presented in Figs. 6–8. Fig. 6 representsthe catalysts weight loss, while
Figs.7and8representthethermalevolutionofCO2(m/z=44)and
H2O(m/z=18)respectively.Fig.6showstwomajorweightloss,
oneat120◦Ccorrespondingtohydrationwaterlossasconfirmed inFig.8;andanotherbetween300◦Cand400◦C.Thislastweight losswasbetterunderstoodthankstoMSanalyses.ConsideringCO2,
weobservedadesorptionat380◦CforMgO(C)andMgO(Fig.7).We alsoobservedH2Odesorptionpeaksatthesametemperaturethat
forCO2forallthesolids(Fig.8).ThisdesorptionofbothCO2and
H2Oatthesametemperatureprovesthatthenatureofthebasic
sitesarehydrogenocarbonates.ThebiggerH2Odesorptionpeak
ofMgOcorrespondstohydroxyl groups.Athighertemperature, MgO(C)exhibitstwo otherCO2 desorptionpeaks;oneat450◦C
correspondingtomoderatebasicsiteandanotherathigher tem-perature(600◦C)correspondingtostrongbasicsites.Thesetwolast CO2desorptionsoccurswithoutlossofwater,indicatingthatthe
natureoftheadsorbedsitesiscarbonates.Noneofthese“chitosan MgO”exhibitcarbonatetypeadsorptionsites,butonly hydrogeno-carbonateones,whichis reallyunusualforMgO type catalysts. These“chitosanMgO”aretheninterestingtoperformreactionsthat needmoderatebasicityasthetransesterificationreaction. More-over,theabsenceof strongbasicsites couldpreventsomeside reactionsandthentheformationofby-products.
3.2. Catalytictesting
The preliminaries results obtained from the catalytic tests (%FAEEs)areshowninTable1.Itcanbeobservedthatthematerials areactive,formingFAEEswithpercentagesof30–75%forthefresh catalysts,at3hofreaction.
Thecatalyticactivityexhibitedbythistypeofoxideisrelatedto thepresenceofbasicBrøsntedsitesinthesurfaceofthematerial
[28,29].Thesesitesonthemagnesiumoxidearestrongenough,pKa isaround16,togeneratealcohoxideswhicharetheactivespecies ontransesterificationunderbasicreactionconditions[30,31].
-0.2 -0.1 0.0 0.1 Temperature Difference (°C/mg) 60 70 80 90 100 Weight (%) 800 600 400 200 0 Temperature (°C) MgO––––––– MgO (c)– – – –
Fig.6. TG-DTAanalysisofMgOandMgO(C).
Thisstudyrevealedgoodcorrelationsbetweenthepresenceof basicsitesinthecatalysts,asshowninFig.7,withtheexception oftheMgO(stored)sampleusedtoverifytheeffectofstoragein ambientair.ThecatalystMgO(stored)wasstoredinambientairfor aperiodof180dayswhichledtoadecreaseinthecatalystactivity
Fig.7. m/z=44(CO2)TG-MSanalysisofMgOandMgO(C).
Fig.8.m/z=18(H2O)TG-MSanalysisofMgOandMgO(C).
becauseofthepoisoningofthesamplebycarbonation/hydration oftheactivesites[15].TheyieldofFAEEsdecreasedfrom75%to 14%forthefreshandstoredcatalysts,respectively.
AstudyonthespecificadsorptionofCO2,CO2+H2Oas
per-formedtobetterunderstandthenatureofthepoisoningof the catalyticsites(Figs.9and10).WhenafreshlycalcinedMgOwas analysedbyTG-MS,nodesorptionofH2OorCO2 wereobserved,
exceptalowphysisorbedwaterpeakunder100◦Cwhichisdue toexperimentalartifact(refreshmentoftheovenbyundriedair). Whena freshlycalcined MgO wasexposedtoCO2 during 15h,
noCO2 adsorptionwasdetectedwhilewhenbothCO2 andH2O
were simultaneouslyputin contact with thesame freshly cal-cinedMgO duringonly3h,both ofthem wereadsorbed.Ifthe MgOstaysunderambientairmorethan2monthafterits calci-nation,thesameadsorptionis observedwithmoreintensity.It provesthatthepoisoningofthecatalystisduetotheformation ofhydrogenocarbonatesonthebasiccatalyticsitesofMgO.Only thebasicsitescorrespondingtohydrogenocarbonatesadsorption aretheninvolvedinthecatalytictranseterificationofsoybeanoil byethanol.Wecanthussuggestthatthestorageofthecatalyst underdryaircouldbesufficienttoavoiditspoisoning.Theseresults areconsistentwiththecharacteristicsoftheMgOcatalyst,which hasbasicssites,thisbeingarequirementforthereaction.Inthis regard,Henriquesandco-workers[8]alsoshowedthatMgO,as wellasmixedoxides,areefficientcatalystsforthe transesterifi-cationofvegetableoils,usingmethanolasanalcoholysisagent. Theyreportedafattyacidmethylesteryieldofover60%at130◦C for7hreactiontime.Theuseoftheconventionalmicrocrystalline MgOcatalystinthemethylic transesterificationofsunfloweroil reportedlyledtoaconversionof80%at220◦C[1].
It isimportanttoremarkthatthecatalyticactivityishigher forMgO,sinceCO2 poisoningissloweroverMgOincomparison
withMgO(C).IntheMgO(C)strongbasicLewissitesarepresented and theatmosphericCO2 reactsvery quicklytoformless
reac-tivecarbonatedspecies.InthecaseofMgO,theatmosphericCO2
reactsslowlywithmoderateBrönstedsitespresented,to gener-atehydrogenocarbonatesinthepresenceofwatertraces.Thisis confirmedbythestoragestudy,discussedabove.
Itisworthnotingthatalongwiththeethylicalcoholusedinthe reactionbeingofrenewableorigin,thecatalystwassynthesized fromchitosan,whichisabiomaterial.
Fig.9.m/z=18(H2O)TG-MSanalysisof“chitosanMgO”.(a)Directlyaftercalcinationsoftheprecursor,(b)directlyaftercalcinationsoftheprecursorthenadsorptionof CO2during15hat30◦C,(c)directlyaftercalcinationsoftheprecursorthenadsorptionofbothCO2andH2Oduring3hat30◦C,(d)2monthofstorageaftercalcinations (MgO(stored)).
Fig.10. m/z=44(CO2)TG-MSanalysisof“chitosanMgO”.(a)Directlyaftercalcinationsoftheprecursor,(b)directlyaftercalcinationsoftheprecursorthenadsorptionof CO2during15hat30◦C,(c)directlyaftercalcinationsoftheprecursorthenadsorptionofbothCO2andH2Oduring3hat30◦C,(d)2monthofstorageaftercalcinations (MgO(stored)).
4. Conclusions
ThemethoddescribedhereinforthepreparationoftheMgO cat-alystsviametal–chitosancomplexation,ledtoasignificantincrease intheirsurfaceareaandthebasicity.Thesecharacteristicsprovide arelativelyhigherconversiontofattyacidethylesterswhen com-paredwithacommercialoxide.However,solidbasecatalystsare susceptibletobepoisonedbysomecomponentsinairsuchasCO2
andH2Oastheycaninteractwithbasesitesanddecreasecatalyst
activity.
Inthisstudy,higherconversionsforthefreshcatalystswere associated withlowertemperaturesand shorter reaction times thanthosenormallyfoundintheliterature.Thisindicatesthegreat potentialforthedevelopmentofheterogeneouscatalystsforthe productionofethylicbiodiesel,allowingconversionsequivalentto thoseobtainedwithhomogeneouscatalyststobeachievedunder viablereactionconditionsfromacommercialpointofview.
WealsoprovedthatbothCO2andH2Oarenecessarytopoison
thecatalyst.Therefore,catalystactivationorproperstorageis
nec-essarytomaintaincatalystactivityandsuchstudiesareunderway inourresearchgroup.Thisstudyopensanewapproach,employing heterogeneousbaseMgOcatalystsforbiodieselproductionusing ethanolasthealcoholysisagent.
Whenmagnesiumoxideisemployedfortransesterificaionof vegetable oil withethanol, it is possible that leaching of solid basecatalystoccurs.Theamountofleachedmagnesiumcoming fromthecatalystpreparedusingthemetal–chitosancomplexation methodreached0.18%duringthebiodieselformation.
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge CNPq and FAPEMIG for financialsupport.
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