Modification and characterization of heterogeneous catalysts derived from spent coffee grounds and mussel shells
Project no. 28434 · Status: Kapanmış · 2023
Summary
<p>The most used production method of biodiesel, whose production has accelerated with the increasing interest in renewable energy sources, is transesterification. As a result of the transesterification reaction, a significant amount of glycerol is produced. Being able to utilize this glycerol obtained in large quantities also affects the success of biodiesel production. Crude glycerol, obtained in large quantities as a by-product, contains impurities. Purifying glycerol can be laborious and costly. Therefore, it is of great importance to commercialize a process that will evaluate crude glycerol. Although glycerol has a wide range of uses, it can be converted into many important commercial products through different reactions. Glycerol carbonate holds an industrially and scientifically important place among glycerol-derived chemicals. While glycerol carbonate can be produced by different methods, the most efficient and simple way is to produce it by transesterification of glycerol with dimethyl carbonate. Glycerol carbonate production is a reversible reaction and is limited by chemical balance. Considering the reaction time and efficiency, the use of appropriate catalyst is of great importance. For the production of glycerol carbonate, the use of catalysts with high catalytic activity, economical, reusable, non-extraction and deactivation, and environmentally friendly are important in industrializing the process. In this study, waste coffee grounds and mussel shells were used as catalysts. Coffee and mussels are products consumed worldwide and therefore create a waste problem worldwide. By using them as catalysts, the wastes in question were evaluated and they played a role in the synthesis of glycerol carbonate. By making appropriate modifications of the obtained substances, glycerol conversion and glycerol carbonate selectivity were increased. Additionally, the effects of reaction parameters on glycerol conversion and glycerol carbonate selectivity were examined.</p>