Sulfonated porous carbon catalyzed esterification of free fatty acids

The esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) with methanol is studied using Sulfonated Porous Carbon (SPC) as catalyst. In compare to the amorphous sugar catalyst and protonated Nafion, the proposed catalyst shows stability and high efficient performance in biodiesel production. The highest initial rate of oleic acid conversion is obtained at catalyst loading of 1 mmol H+ and mole ratio of MeOH/Oleic acid of 10. The prepared Sulfonated Porous Carbon reused at least three times without loss of activity.