Single step esterification of algae oil using mesoporous solid acid catalyst

Algae oil is an underutilized carbon neutral oil that is considered to be a drop-in replacement for transportation fuels in the future. In this work, an acid-catalyzed esterification process which uses an acid loaded KIT-5 mesoporous material was investigated for the production of algal biodiesel. The optimum conditions for transesterification of algal oil with methanol, using mesoporous framework loaded with acid catalyst, were found to be 60 °C reaction temperature, 6 hour reaction time, 1:2 vol/vol ratio of algal oil to methanol and 1.5% catalyst (w/w). Under these optimal conditions, the use of 35% phosphotungstic acid loaded KIT-5 catalyst led to a 98% conversion of algal oil to fatty acid methyl esters. Catalyst recycling and regeneration studies were also conducted.