Catalytic Cracking of Biodiesel Waste Using Metal Supported SBA-15 Mesoporous Catalysts

Palladium (Pd) and aluminium (Al) supported on SBA-15 were prepared as catalysts for cracking biodiesel waste from biodiesel production. Mesoporous silica SBA-15 was first synthesized by a hydrothermal method and then loaded with Al or Pd particles were loaded using postsynthesis or aqueous wet impregnation methods, respectively. The physical properties of the catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen (N 2) adsorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. The catalytic cracking performance of biodiesel waste was evaluated at reaction temperatures above 400 °C under a N 2 atmosphere in a batch reactor for 40 min in comparison with that for pure glycerol, where the conversion of biodiesel waste reached 86.8% with 10 wt% Pd-SBA-15 at 650 °C. The product types depended on whether the starting material was pure glycerol or biodiesel waste. The main gaseous products were carbon monoxide as synthesis gas, carbon dioxide, and 1,3-butadiene. Additionally, 2-cyclopenten-1-one and 2-propen-1-ol were major products in the liquid fraction, which can be used in pharmaceuticals and as a flame retardant, respectively. View Full-Tex