It is important that developing countries have a sufficient energy supply to promote growth in their economies.  As a society, we encourage growth to reduce the problems associated with underdeveloped countries:  poverty, mortality rate, social unrest, etc. Equally as important are the effects that the production and consumption of energy have on the environment. Biodiesel is a viable alternative to petroleum-based products. It is a renewable energy source that causes less pollution than traditional petroleum-based products. It is produced from biomass, which could be from plant sources or animal sources.  Biodiesel is produced by combining methanol or ethanol with the fatty acids found in vegetable oil or the fat in animals in the presence of a catalyst. Traditionally, NaOH or KOH is used as the catalyst for making biodiesel. Using solid Lewis acid catalysts is a good alternative because they are recoverable. In the past, acid-based catalysts were considered to be inferior because they required high temperatures and longer times to produce biodiesel. Using ultrasound, this problem has been ameliorated. In this study, we have examined the use of high-intensity ultrasound to produce biodiesel fuel using six different oxide- and chloride-based Lewis acids as catalysts. The best performing catalysts, FeCl3, CrCl3, and SnCl2 are all either soluble in water or in methanol.  High yields of biofuels are produced in 1/10 of the time of traditional thermal reactions.  In addition, unlike in the case of the classic base-catalyzed esterification reaction, the catalysts are recyclable and reusable.  This technology thus results in a greener approach to the production of biofuels.

Sonochemical production of biofuels using solid Lewis acid catalysis

246th National Meeting (2013)

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