Effect of Calcination on Shell Powder Catalyst Towards Effectiveness on Catalysing Transesterification of Crude Glycerol to Glycerol Carbonate. Issue 1 (December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liew, Janice Sheow Tung; Leong, Siew Yong; Lo, Po Kim
• Is Part Of: IOP conference series. Volume 945:Issue 1(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-12
• Subjects: Glycerol -- Glycerol Carbonate -- Paratapes Undulatus -- Calcination; Earth sciences -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Congresses; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; 550.5
• DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/945/1/012038
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1755-1307

Abstract

Abstract: Valorisation of crude glycerol has gained much interest in the industry associated with the surplus of crude glycerol caused by the increase usage of biodiesel. Transesterification of crude glycerol using a heterogenous base catalyst is one of the effective ways to utilize the additional glycerol. Seawater clams commonly serve as a food source to us and the waste shells are a source of calcium carbonate that is abundantly available and can be converted into a heterogenous base catalyst for the transesterification process. Therefore, this study focuses on the utilization of catalyst synthesized from a species of seawater clam, Paratapes Undulatus in a transesterification reaction using crude glycerol (C.GLY) as a reactant together with dimethyl carbonate (DMC) to synthesize glycerol carbonate (GLYC). The catalysts are characterized using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Particle Size Analyser (PSA). The product is characterized using Gas Chromatography (GC-FID). The performance of the synthesized shell catalyst with different calcination condition was studied. The reaction using the calcined shell catalyst is carried out at 75°C, molar ratio of 2 and 2wt% of catalyst for 1 hour. The catalyst that has the best performance is the shell catalyst that is calcined for 3h, which give the yield of 54.16%.