The Biodiesel Solid Catalyst

An awesome fuel needs an awesome catalyst

Advocates around the world are pushing for the full conversion of biodiesel into a commercial fuel in an attempt to reduce emissions of pollutants from burning conventional diesel. To the uninitiated, biodiesel is a diesel-equivalent fuel that came from processing biological sources like vegetable oils.

Biodiesel are used in unmodified diesel-engined vehicles. Biodiesel is very different from the straight vegetable oils or waste vegetable oils that are being used as fuels in some diesel vehicles. However, these kinds of fuel only works with engines that have been specifically modified for that purpose, unlike biodiesel which can be infused directly into diesel engines without having to modify anything.

Because biodiesel is biodegradable and non-toxic, it has the capability to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to as much as 60% than the conventional petroleum-based diesel. The fuel came from a chemical alteration of organic oil by introducing a catalyst and an alcohol.

Once the elements have been combined together, a chemical reaction will result with the breaking down of oil molecules. The glycerin in the molecular composition of oil will be replaced by an alcohol molecule. With the replacement, the glycerin has no choice but to fall to the bottom which is subsequently drained off during the whole biodiesel manufacturing process.

The resulting fuel is then refined more through washing and removal of other impurities. The final result is a fuel that is clean and pure enough to be used in a diesel engine without having to modify the engine's parts.

Even though biodiesel is able to improve engine performance and help the environment, we only we hope we can say the same with regards to the process of creating the biodiesel itself. Researchers and scientist are studying the various alternatives catalysts that could be used to achieve an even more efficient and environmentally process.

Like what have been mentioned earlier, biodiesel is created through a chemical reaction involving a catalyst and an alcohol. Normally, the type of catalysts used is liquid. A solid, otherwise known as heterogeneous, catalyst can also be used. However, the use of solid catalysts does have the same results. But, search still continue regarding finding better solid catalysts to do the job.

The logic behind using solid catalysts is that liquid catalysts like the popular sodium hydroxide/methanol solution, dissolves in the medium therefore making it harder to remove.

It is very important that the catalysts be removed from the biodiesel since leaving the fuel unfiltered can create problems with your diesel engine. With solid catalysts, removing them from the biodiesel will be a lot easier since the removal process itself is basically the scrapping off the solid catalyst particles that fall on the floor of the mixing plant or tank.

Biodiesel, which in the scientific and formal community is known as "fatty acid methyl ester", really needs a very good catalyst to make the creation of the fuel more desirable and viable.

At present, the most commonly used catalyst is sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide despite a number of drawbacks. One of which is the formation of soaps or salts when the catalyst is introduced into the chemical process.

Also, sodium methoxide is highly explosive which makes the process of making the biodiesel all the more dangerous. Not to mention the fact that mixing sodium hydroxide to form sodium methoxide or sodium methylate results to a totally new set of problems.