A green approach for the production of biodiesel from fatty acids of corn deodorizer distillate

A novel alginic acid derived tin catalyst, tin alginate (Sn-Alg), was successfully synthesized, characterized and applied for methyl esterification. Initially, the amount of catalyst, methanol to fatty acid ratio and reaction time were optimized using an oleic acid standard for esterification. The optimal reaction conditions were found to be 4% catalyst, 1 : 12 oleic acid to methanol mole ratio and 2 h reaction time with 98.7% fatty acid methyl ester recovery. The capability of Sn-Alg beads to esterify the fatty acids of corn deodorizer distillate was evaluated. High recovery (97.6%) of esters was obtained after 8 cycles using reprocessed catalyst under the optimized parameters. The results of the present study indicated that based on the environmental pollution, reusability, avoiding the use of potassium or sodium hydroxides or sulphuric or phosphoric acids, and ease of catalyst separation, the solid Sn-Alg catalyst has a great potential for biodiesel production from highly free fatty acid deodorizer distillates.