Production of Jatropha biodiesel fuel over sulfonic acid-based solid acids

Sulfonic acid-functionalized platelet SBA-15 mesoporous silica with an acid capacity of 2.44mmol H(+) g-cat(-1) (shortly termed 15SA-SBA-15-p) was one-pot synthesized by co-condensation method. When applied as solid acid catalyst in synthesis of Jatropha biodiesel fuel (BDF), the 15SA-SBA-15-p catalyst showed higher activity and resistances to water and free fatty acid (FFA) than commercial sulfonic resins of Amberlyst-15 and SAC-13. For the continuous Jatropha BDF production, a steady 75-78wt% of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content was obtained over 15SA-SBA-15-p catalyst at 150°C for 75h, whereas the Amberlyst-15 and SAC-13 catalysts were quickly deactivated due to the decomposition of thermally unstable framework and serious leaching of sulfonic acids. More importantly, the quality, stability and cold flow characteristic of Jatropha BDF synthesized by 15SA-SBA-15-p catalyst were better than those synthesized by Amberlyst-15 and SAC-13 catalysts, making the blending with petro-diesel an easy task.