Efficient Bio-Diesel Synthesis: Reusable Magnetic Catalysis

Prof. Anping Wang et al., with his research collaborative team from china (1. Guizhou University, China; and 2. Guizhou Normal University, China) and India (National Chemical Laboratory, India) have reviewed the research over views on the preparation methods, physicochemical properties, stabilization/functionalization, and the catalytic applications of magnetic materials, including magnetic acids, bases, enzymes, and acid-base bifunctional materials for the synthesis of bio-diesel. Here, we discuss only the preparation of efficient bio-diesel with merits and applications of magnetic nanocatalyst for the bio-diesel preparation.

Bio-diesel products are mainly attain from bio mass feed stocks, which gives more attention in the biorefinery research affairs [1]. A green way of renewable liquid biofuels are emergency required one in present atmosphere. Among the various classes, best one is renewable diesel fuel, the chemical content of long-chain fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) or ethyl ester (FAEE), which hopefully utilized as an alternative resources for automobiles to enrich rapid reduction of fossil energy (Figure 1) [2]. The essential credits of bio-diesel are based on green, non-toxic, eco-friendly, and bio-degradable characteristics [3]. The green characteristics of bio-diesel source as a liquid and solid from parts of plants, animals, wastes materials and algae [4]. In biomass, specifically waste ideas of biomaterials as raw material predominantly reduces the total biomass production cost. Hence, it makes the cost of bio-diesel highly competitive [5].

Figure 1. Advantages and significance of bio-diesel [1].

The main focus of catalysis research is to improve the activity and selectivity of catalyst during the past. However, the catalyst’s recycling is not considered to be a serious problem. The catalyst recovery or reuse is a very important factor, to develop green catalytic methods due to its strict ecological and economic requirements. To reduce the overall reaction efficiency with additional costs, the separation of catalyst reaction mixture requires some complex operations like filtration or centrifugation. Magnetic catalysts is found to be a promising choice for the usage of bio-diesel production. This will allow the facile and efficient separation of catalyst from the reaction system using an external magnetic field.

In recent years, bio-diesel, has received attracted great attention throughout the world due to the continuous decrease of fossil fuels that reserves and produces biofuels. The high priority in the current biorefinery research is the finding of suitable raw materials for the production of bio-diesel via suitable processing routes that becomes for the market demand [6]. Currently, the application of magnetic catalysts from small-scale bio-diesel preparation is very important for expanding the laboratory to industrial production [7]. The main key factor in the production of bio-diesel is the purification and separation with conventional technologies such as filtration, decantation, gravity sedimentation for bio-diesel separation, water washing, acid pickling, etc., for bio-diesel purification, which has proven to be an inefficient, high-energy consumption and, time-consuming with a very high process cost [8]. The main limiting factor for the biomass utilization was the technology development on the follow-up with separation and purification process of biomass into biofuels and biochemicals. Currently, the downstream processing itself accounts for about 60-80% in its total process cost [9]. Hence, the usage of an efficient magnetic catalyst will not only effective accelerate the separation of the catalytic system. but also greatly reduce the cost and improve the performance of the catalyst (Figure 2).

“What's the most promising is that cost-effective in the industry will soon appear in mass production”.

Figure 2. Schematic diagram of the synthesis and purification process of bio-diesel [1].

The merits of using magnetic catalysts:

Suitable large-scale production with excellent stability.
Unique magnetic properties which can be effectively separated and recovered through an external magnetic field, it can be reused and insoluble in most organic solvents.
The preparation method and the process is very simple and small, the amount of waste generated, fully reflecting the principles and ideas of green chemistry.
Well-dispersion in the reaction system with proper modification of the surface of the magnetic catalyst can effectively prevent the aggregation of the nanoparticles.

Owing to these unique merits and benefits, the application of magnetic catalysts is a primary choice that can effectively reduce the process costs and protect the environment in the industrial production of biodiesel.

Our SNB team recommended this review to enrich our reader’s knowledge about the efficient green way of bio-diesel synthesis with reusable magnetic nanocatalyst. They concluded, enhancement of magnetic catalysts scenarios based on their own merits and demerits. Therefore, it is a long way to express and to prepare more efficiently, regenerable and stable magnetic catalysts. At the same time, creating synthetic methodologies with developing potential for magnetic nanocatalyst, will provide some enhancement for the preparation of advanced level of catalysts in the future. In sustainable progress, the synthesis of various magnetic composite catalysts will make an attention and the production of bio-diesel greener.

References

A. Wang et al., Green Chem, 22, 2977 (2020).
E. S. Salama, et al., Renew. Sust. Energy Rev, 79, 1189 (2017).
I. Thushari, et al., Renew. Energy, 134, 125 (2019).
H. Zhang, et al., Appl. Energy, 223, 416 (2018).
Y. Jeon, et al., Appl. Catal. B: Environ, 242, 51 (2019).
S. Rafiei, et al., Chem. Eng. J, 334, 1233 (2018)
A. Wang, et al., Fuel Process. Technol, 181, 259 (2018).
I. M. Atadashi, et al., Renew. Energy, 36, 437 (2011).
M. Shokouhimehr, et al., Green chem., 20, 3809 (2018).

Blog Written By

Dr. S. Thirumurugan

National College, Tiruchirappalli

Tamil Nadu, India

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Editors

Dr. A. S. Ganeshraja

Dr. K. Rajkumar

Dr. S. Chandrasekar

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Dr. Y. Sasikumar

Dr. K. Vaithinathan

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