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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Light-driven Enzymatic Decarboxylation
Published on: May 22, 2016
Microwave-accelerated energy-efficient esterification of free fatty acid with a heterogeneous catalyst
Daeho Kim1, Jinju Choi, Geun-Ju Kim
1Convergence Technology Division, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
This paper shows energy-efficiency of microwave-accelerated esterification of free fatty acid with a heterogeneous catalyst by net microwave power measurement. In the reaction condition of 5 wt% sulfated zirconia and 1:20 M ratio of oil to methanol at 60°C and atmospheric pressure, more than 90% conversion of the esterification was achieved in 20 min by microwave heating, while it took about 130 min by conventional heating. Electric energy consumption for the microwave heating in this accelerated esterification was only 67% of estimated minimum heat energy demand because of significantly reduced reaction time.
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