Optimization of Biodiesel Production Via Transesterification of Soybean Oil Using Α-Moo3 Catalyst Obtained by the Combustion Method

A catalyst based on MoO 3 was synthesized by a simple and fast pilot-scale combustion reaction method and applied to the conversion of soybean oil to biodiesel via transesterification. For that, the statistical analysis of the catalyst amount and temperature, factors that influence the process, was evaluated by means of central composite design 2 2 . MoO 3 was characterized in terms of structure by X-ray diffraction (XRD), textural characterization Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), acidity tests by temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH 3 -TPD), morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and catalytic properties. The transesterification products were characterized by gas chromatography (GC), acidity index (AI) and kinematic viscosity (KV). The results indicate the catalyst formation with a surface area of 1.5 m 2 g -1 , and which consists of a single crystalline phase of orthorhombic configuration, with total NH 3 acidity of 30.23 μ.mol/g. Morphological characterization revealed that the catalyst is formed by irregular plates of various sizes and shapes, with a wide sizes range of agglomerated particles. In the soybean oil transesterification reactions, the catalyst was active showing 96.8% conversion to ethyl esters. The experimental design was meaningful and predictive, with a reliability level of 95%