Title:
Biofuels from Glycerol by Etherification Reactions: What Route to Follow to Develop Efficient Processes?
Author(s):
Bonura, G., Cannilla, C., Frusteri, L., Spadaro, L., Frusteri, F.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
This work is focused at assessing the possibility of developing efficient catalytic processes to produce oxygenated additives for conventional fuels by etherification reaction of glycerol with isobutylene and tert-butyl alcohol, maximizing the yield to higher ethers, very soluble in diesel. The development of a process operating in heterogeneous phase seems feasible using isobutylene as reactant, even if it is necessary to overcome some problems related to the stability of the catalyst and its reuse. Moreover, to reduce the production costs of the additives, it is necessary to optimize the operating conditions, in order to obtain mixtures with concentrations of mono-ether <3 wt.% (limit of solubility in diesel fuel). The use of tert-butyl alcohol as a reactant, instead of isobutylene, is also possible, although the removal of water from the reaction medium, to shift the equilibrium towards the formation of poly-substituted ethers, represents a limiting factor for the development of an economically viable process. Engine tests performed using a diesel blend containing 10 vol. % of such ethers have confirmed that the presence of ethers contributes to reduce the emissions of particulates and unburned hydrocarbons.
Keywords:
batch reactor, biodiesel, catalytic conversion, oxygenated compounds, liquid biofuel
Topic:
Industrial Demonstration and Business Concepts
Subtopic:
Biofuels for transport
Event:
20th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
4BV.4.1
Pages:
1915 - 1921
ISBN:
978-88-89407-54-7
Paper DOI:
10.5071/20thEUBCE2012-4BV.4.1
Price:
FREE
