MoO3 suportado na MCM-41 como catalisador heterogêneo reutilizável na reação de transesterificação.

Abstract

The decline in fossil fuel reserves due to high demand for energy and climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions has encouraged the development of new energy sources such as biodiesel. Biodiesel is a biodegradable fuel derived from renewable sources, which can be produced from vegetable oils, waste oils and animal fats. The main production route of biodiesel is the methyl transesterification of triglycerides in the presence of a homogeneous basic catalyst, but this type of catalyst produce soap and are not recovered. In this sense, studies have been developed to produce a heterogeneous catalyst capable of obtaining high conversions into esters and that is easily recovered and reused. Among the heterogeneous catalysts, there is one that stands out the molybdenum catalysts due to their acidity of Lewis and Brønsted-Lowry, supported in mesoporous silicas, such as the MCM-41 molecular sieve, which presents high thermal stability, high surface area, large pore volume and distribution of ordered mesopores that allow the incorporation of metals in its structure. Thus the objective of the present work is to synthesize the MoO3/MCM-41 catalyst and to evaluate its catalytic potential in the reaction of methyl transesterification of soybean oil and to test its activity in its reprocessing. For this purpose, the molecular sieve MCM-41 was initially obtained by a hydrothermal process at 30 °C for 24 hours using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr), ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) and water and then passed by a calcination activation process to remove the structural driver. Subsequently, the ammonium heptamolybdate precursor was incorporated into the MCM-41 structure by pore volume saturation, in the percentages (in mass) of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 45%. The MoO3 under the MCM-41 molecular sieve was obtained by the calcination activation process. From the results obtained in the X-ray diffractograms it was possible to confirm the formation of the molecular sieve MCM-41, as well as to identify the peaks related to MoO3. The oils obtained in the transesterification reactions presented density and viscosity within the standards established by the Resolution of the National Agency of Petroleum Natural Gas and Biofuels. (ANP) N°. 51 of 11/25/2015, but the acidity index was not within the maximum allowable limit and only the Catalysts with 10, 20 and 30% MoO3 were able to convert to the minimum value of esters. The catalysts of 30, 40 and 45% of molybdenum trioxide showed good catalytic stability in the two cycles of reuse, with a maximum reduction of catalytic activity of 2.38%. The oils obtained with the reuse of these catalysts showed density and viscosity within the limits established by the ANP.