Catalysts Derived from Thermal Treatments of Hydrocalumite-Type Compounds: Synthesis and Application in Transesterification Reactions

Catalyst performance is a relevant factor in biodiesel production because it can affect the efficiency of the process. This work provides a study of the performance of heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel production derived from thermal-treated hydrocalumite-type compounds. This work aimed to synthesize and characterize hydrocalumite-type compounds intercalated with chloride and nitrate, evaluate the effect of thermal treatments at different temperatures (500, 600, and 750 °C) on these materials, and assess the performance of these materials as catalysts in the transesterification reactions using soybean oil and methanol. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrational spectroscopy (Fourier transform infrared with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR)), thermogravimetric analysis coupled to mass spectrometry (TGA DSC-MS), specific surface area, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results of the transesterification reactions showed that the thermal-treated materials from the hydrocalumite intercalated with chloride presented high catalytic activity, among them, the thermal-treated material at 750 °C presented the highest conversion to methyl esters.

催化剂性能是生物柴油生产中的关键影响因素，其直接影响该生产过程的整体效率。本研究针对以经热处理的水铝钙石类化合物为原料制备的生物柴油生产用多相催化剂的性能展开系统研究。研究目标包括合成并表征插层氯离子与硝酸根的水铝钙石类化合物、评估不同温度（500、600、750℃）下的热处理对该类材料的影响，以及测试这些材料作为催化剂在以大豆油与甲醇为原料的酯交换反应中的催化性能。采用X射线衍射（X-ray diffraction, XRD）、振动光谱（傅里叶变换衰减全反射红外光谱，Fourier transform infrared with attenuated total reflectance, FTIR-ATR）、热重-差示扫描量热-质谱联用分析（TGA DSC-MS）、比表面积测试以及X射线光电子能谱（X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS）对所制备的材料进行了表征。酯交换反应结果表明，由插层氯离子的水铝钙石经热处理得到的材料展现出优异的催化活性，其中750℃热处理得到的材料对甲酯的转化率最高。