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Indexed by:期刊论文

Date of Publication:2010-05-01

Journal:ENERGY & FUELS

Included Journals:SCIE、EI、Scopus

Volume:24

Issue:5

Page Number:3179-3182

ISSN No.:0887-0624

Abstract:Biodiesel from supercritical methanol reaction is a high-efficiency method of noncatalysis. Due to high temperature and pressure, this technology has been limited to practical applications. To improve the operation conditions, developing a mild method has become a new trend for biodiesel production. In this paper, the transesterification of soybean oil in subcritical methanol was studied with a small amount of catalyst of sodium silicate (Na(2)SiO(3)) to obtain biodiesel. Na(2)SiO(3) as a catalyst can improve the transesterification reaction of soybean oil in supercritical methanol. The variables affecting the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield during the transesterification reaction, such as the reaction temperature, catalyst content, reaction rate, and the molar ratio of soybean oil to methanol, were investigated and compared with those of noncatalyst experiments. The test results show that a FAME yield of 95.6% was achieved when the reaction was performed with a catalyst content of 0.5 wt % at 220 degrees C for 30 min.