Conversion of waste cooking oil into useful chemicals. The use of a zeolite catalyst and a clay catalyst

Academic Paper from the year 2020 in the subject Chemistry - Materials Chemistry, , language: English, abstract: Biodiesel or in general biofuels can be produced in a complex process of transesterification or in hydrotreatment of oil. To do this a catalyst is required. The conversion process of used oil is the aim of this paper. The information presented forward offers a deep insight of products that are obtainable from the conversion of waste cooking oil.Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) refers to used vegetable oil generated during food preparation. While WCO is cost-effective, improper disposal leads to environmental and soil degradation. To mitigate these effects, WCO can be repurposed as a feedstock for biofuel production.Biofuel, specifically Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME), is derived through a transesterification reaction between triglycerides in the oil and alcohol. This reaction utilizes 1:1 group clay minerals as a catalyst, with a predominant focus on kaolinite. Kaolinite serves as either the catalyst support or a precursor for other ceramic material catalysts, including Zeolites.Transesterification of WCO into Fatty Acid Methyl Ester requires the use of a catalyst. While it's possible to perform this conversion at high temperatures and pressures without a catalyst, it often results in a significant presence of fatty acids in the final product. Therefore, solid acid catalysts are preferred for biofuel synthesis.