Trans-Esterification with Homogeneous Acid Catalyst - Linear Alkyl Benzene Sulfonic Acid for Biodiesel Production

Trans-esterification process was studied using linear alkyl benzene sulfonic acid as catalyst. From various vegetable oils, coconut oil was trans-esterified with low aliphatic alcohols like methanol, ethanol etc. The process was studied in batch reactor, Linear alkyl benzene sulfonic acid ( LABS) is used in catalytic amount for trans-esterification of coconut oil. Methyl ester derived from coconut oil is very interesting to study as coconut oil majorly contains medium carbon chain (C12 C14), so the methyl ester obtained from its part can be a biodiesel. The product formed was tested using gas chromatography (GC) technique and was confirmed by GC-Mass Spectra analysis. The process parameters including recovery and reusability of catalyst were studied and optimized.