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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Laboratory Production of Biofuels and Biochemicals from a Rapeseed Oil through Catalytic Cracking Conversion
Published on: September 2, 2016
Triglyceride cracking for biofuel production using a directly synthesised sulphated zirconia catalyst
Elizabeth J Eterigho1, Jon G M Lee, Adam P Harvey
1School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK.
Abstract:
In this study, sulphated zirconia was directly synthesised and compared to the conventional wet method of preparation. The surface areas and pore sizes were 169 m(2)/g, 0.61 μm (directly synthesized) and 65 m(2)/g, 0.24 μm (conventional method), respectively. Directly synthesized sulphated zirconia was amorphous, whereas conventionally prepared sulphated zirconia is polycrystalline. Their IR spectra were broadly similar, although the area of the 1250 to 950 cm(-1) band was larger for directly synthesised sulphated zirconia. Not only were conversions greater for directly synthesised sulphated zirconia (63% vs. 42% after 4h), but it exhibited significantly greater yield for fatty acid methyl esters. The percentage yield (after 1h) of methyl esters was 43% for the directly synthesised catalyst and 15% for the conventionally synthesised.
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