Glycerol
Valorization as Biofuel Additives by Employing
a Carbon-Based Solid Acid Catalyst Derived from Glycerol
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Abstract
A two-step
process was developed for the preparation of triacetylglycerol
(TAG), a biofuel additive employing a solid acid catalyst derived
from glycerol. The first step involves esterification of glycerol
with acetic acid (1:4 mol) at 115 °C for 1 h in the presence
of catalyst (5 wt %) to obtain 100% conversion of glycerol with 22,
67, and 11% MAG, DAG, and TAG, respectively. In the second step, the
esterified product mixture after removal of excess acetic acid and
moisture was acetylated with acetic anhydride (1 mol with respect
to glycerol) at 115 °C for 30 min to obtain 100% TAG. The recovered
catalyst was reused for five cycles without any significant loss of
its initial activity. The protocol is cost-effective due to the use
of highly stable and recyclable SO<sub>3</sub>H-carbon catalyst for
the production of TAG with minimum moles of acetic acid and acetic
anhydride in shorter reaction time
