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Biodiesel is a widely recognized and favored liquid biofuel, primarily attributed to its biodegradability and non-toxicity. However, the development of biodiesel is hindered by its high production costs. Here, we developed a method that combines glycerol esterification and transesterification reaction catalyzed using nano-hydrated CaO for the green production of biodiesel from high acid value oil. Waste eggshell was chosen as the calcium source to examine the effect of hydration temperature and duration. The catalysts were optimized using a synthesis process involving under calcination for 3 h at 875 °C, followed by hydration at 60 °C for 6 h and subsequent dehydration at 725 °C. The catalyst loading, alcohol-to-oil mass ratio, reaction temperature, and duration were optimized to 2.5 wt%, 35%, 60 °C, and 2 h, respectively. Under the optimized conditions, the yield of fatty acid methyl ester reached 94.44%. The catalyst was successfully reused eight cycles while maintaining a yield of fatty acid methyl ester at 80.52%. In addition, a comprehensive overview was summarized to compare the catalyst preparation methods, reaction conditions, biodiesel yield, and reusability in the production of biodiesel using eggshell-derived CaO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many regions, even if waste vegetable oil is used as raw material, the profits of biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester, FAME) enterprises still remain restricted, and they are facing environmental problems caused by the by‐product glycerol. Hence, value‐added utilization of FAME and glycerol is a promising alternative to improve the competitiveness of biodiesel enterprises in the economy and environmental protection. In this paper, FAME and glycerol were utilized to prepare epoxidized acyl glycerides by transesterification and epoxidation. In the transesterification, acyl glycerides were prepared by reacting FAME and glycerol catalyzed by K2CO3. The contents of monoacyl glyceride, diacyl glyceride, and triacyl glyceride in the acyl glycerides were about 50%, 40%, and 10%, and the optimal conditions were a temperature of 200°C and the molar ratio of FAME to glycerol of 1:1. In the epoxidation, selectivity of epoxides was significantly affected by monoacyl glyceride content, and a treatment method was developed to control the monoacyl glyceride content <5%. In addition, the plasticity of epoxidized acyl glycerides to partially substitute dioctyl phthalate in polyvinyl chloride was studied, the overall mechanical properties, thermal stability, and extraction resistance were improved. In this work, FAME and glycerol were utilized to prepare epoxidized acyl glycerides with higher value‐added, which provide a potential solution for improving the market competitiveness of biodiesel enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Desulfurization is important to the enhancement of biodiesel quality. In this study, the effects of reactant and catalyst addition and operations conducted on sulfur content at each stage during the biodiesel preparation process were examined. Based on the results of sulfide qualification and quantification, a high vacuum distillation method was developed to remove the sulfides in crude biodiesel. Biodiesel was separated into different fractions based on the boiling point and the sulfur content of each fraction was determined. Experimental results showed that most sulfides were distilled out with light and heavy fractions. Intermediate fraction was separated from the other fractions, resulting in high quality biodiesel with low sulfur content. The total yield of distillation fractions with sulfur content lower than 10 ppm reached 84.1%. A set of distillation facility with capacity of 10 m3/h was designed and developed accordingly for large-scale tests. The yield of low-sulfur biodiesel was around 83%, close to that obtained in the laboratory studies. In addition, economic analysis showed that the distillation facility can make revenue of more than $1.8 million per year, indicating that high vacuum distillation is economically feasible and promising for biodiesel desulfurization, especially in industrial application. Image 104946 • A high vacuum distillation method was proposed to remove sulfides in crude biodiesel. • Sulfides in crude biodiesel were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. • The total yield of biodiesel with sulfur content lower than 10 ppm was 84.1%. • Distillation facility with capacity of 10 m3/h was developed for large-scale tests. • The process is economically feasible for low-sulfur biodiesel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trimethylolpropane fatty acid triester (TFATE) is a promising biolubricant as an environmentally friendly substitute to conventional mineral-based lubricants. However, the issues of extensive energy consumption from vacuum maintenance and feedstock saponification caused by strong alkaline catalysts exist in current TFATE-based biolubricant synthesis. Here, sustainable production of biolubricant was achieved with methyl oleate (MO) from non-edible oil sources as the feedstock and moderate alkaline K 2 CO 3 as the catalyst. Nitrogen gas stripping method instead of vacuum was adopted for methanol removal. The effects of agitation speed, N 2 flow rate, catalyst amount, MO to trimethylolpropane (TMP) molar ratio and temperature on MO conversion and TFATE selectivity were examined. The TFATE selectivity reached 95.6% under the optimized conditions. Leaching tests indicated neglectable K 2 CO 3 dissolution in reaction products. The kinetic parameters for the three consecutive transesterification reactions were calculated. In addition, the synthesized biolubricants exhibit low acid value and volatility, moderate iodine value, superior thermal stability, and good rheological and frictional properties. [Display omitted] • Biolubricant TFATE was produced by methyl oleate transesterification over K 2 CO 3 catalyst. • Nitrogen gas stripping method instead of vacuum was adopted for methanol removal. • The TFATE selectivity reached 95.6% under the optimized conditions. • Kinetic parameters for three consecutive transesterification reactions were calculated. • Products show superior thermal stability and good rheological and frictional properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]