The most useful technologies provide for multiple interests, support the economy and provide a positive influence unto the environment. Currently, crude oil and oil by-products comprise much of the transportation, industrial and electrical sectors in America, as well as substantial portions of the world economy. Unfortunately, this resource fuels climate change through greenhouse emissions and exists in a limited supply. The process of obtaining the fuel requires a very pricey location, extraction and refinement procedure. Many attempts to shift to a greener more economical solution have been attempted, and one such possibility is the advancement of biodiesel. Biodiesel has many advantages, as well as multiple disadvantages that might be rectified through the process of pyrolysis. Since biodiesel is composed primarily of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) as derived from their biological sources, it is possible to thermally crack the components into subsequent smaller light weight petrochemical products. In this investigation, we hope to investigate through ab initio methods, M06-2X/6-31+G(d,p) the most likely products of a thermal degradation of methyl linoleate. Findings so far seem to corroborate a 31% dissociation within the time allotted and further attempts lengthening the time evaluated will be conducted. The various confirmations will then be compiled and compared to experimental results of similar studies to confirm the validity of the investigation, giving us a more in depth understanding of the procedure.<br/>

Pyrolysis of biodiesel: Density functional theory investigations into thermal decomposition of methyl linoleate

2019 Spring National Meeting

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