Comparison of the performance of two solid catalysts based on Na and Ce supported on SBA-15 for the production of biodiesel by alkaline heterogeneous catalysis

Abstract

In this work, the comparison of the activity of two solid mesoporous catalysts (one unimetallic and another bimetallic) with basic properties for the biodiesel production through heterogeneous catalysis is presented. Initially, the catalysts were synthesized by wet impregnation of the SBA-15 support with sodium and cerium (Na/SBA-15 and Na/Ce/SBA-15). Then the physicochemical and textural characterization of these materials was carried out to study both their structure and their basic properties. The materials were used in the transesterification of sunflower oil with absolute methanol. Although the unimetallic catalyst produced a high content of methyl esters in the first cycle, when it was reused, the contents decreased, giving account for the existence of active species leaching. For its part, the bimetallic catalyst showed greater stability, achieving FAME contents above 85 wt% in four reuse cycles.