Biofuels and Their Production Through Different Catalytic Routes

Abstract

This paper presents a review of the literature available on biofuels production through different chemical catalytic routes. Biofuels are promising alternative to the fast-depleting fossil fuel and oil reserves. In consideration of the existing environmental issues, such as greenhouse effect and global warming, researchers are now interested in biofuels production from biomass. Biofuels are produced from renewable and sustainable bioresources, which are available globally in the form of residual agricultural biomass and wastes. However, the biofuels production process through chemical transformation could be very expensive and uneconomical for large-scale commercial supply. Hence, there is a continuous need for improvisation on the research on this topic. This review broadly describes the different types of biofuels and the processes for their production through catalytic routes.

Green Diesel Production by Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation of Vegetables Oils

“…Vegetable oils are suitable substrates for hydrocarbon biofuel production as they have, similar to petroleum derivatives, high energy density and a simple chemical composition [ 16 ]. Vegetable oils can be directly used in diesel engines, but high viscosity and low volatility may cause engine problems [ 17 , 18 ]. On the other hand, the appropriate treatment of vegetable oils allows the production of hydrocarbon biofuels that are fully compatible with fossil fuel derivatives.…”

Amalgamation and Optimization of FAEE Biodiesel Fuel from Croton macrostachyus hochst. ex Delile Seed oil Utilizing Solid Calcium Oxide-Chicken Eggshell Squander as a Heterogeneous Catalyst

“…It is not adequate for biodiesel to meet entire needs and necessities; it should likewise battle fnancially with fossil diesel at largescale creation [12]. According to the previous studies [17][18][19], the main factors infuencing biodiesel yield after transesterifcation are reaction temperature, alcohol to oil molar ratio, time of reaction, mixing intensity, and amount of catalyst loaded. Hence, in the present study, the production of biodiesel through the reaction of the C. M. seed oil with ethanol within the sight of a heterogeneous catalyst, CaO is investigated, and optimum biodiesel conversion is analyzed at the ideal mix of process variables such as ethanol to oil proportion, amount of catalyst loaded, time of reaction, and reaction temperature.…”

Catalytic conversion of castor seed oil to diesel range hydrocarbons using NiO –CuO catalyst supported on ZSM-5

“…Vegetable oils are suitable substrates for hydrocarbon biofuel production as they are similar to petroleum derivatives, high energy density and a simple chemical composition (Zhao et al, 2017). Vegetable oils can be directly used in diesel engines, but high viscosity and low volatility may cause engine problems (Biswas et al, 2017;Lestari et al, 2009). On the other hand, the appropriate treatment of vegetable oils allows the production of hydrocarbon biofuels that are fully compatible with fossil fuel derivatives.…”

“…On the other hand, the appropriate treatment of vegetable oils allows the production of hydrocarbon biofuels that are fully compatible with fossil fuel derivatives. Biodiesel, produced by transesterification of vegetable oils, and green diesel (or renewable diesel), obtained by the catalytic deoxygenation of vegetable oils, are alternative fuels to mineral diesel due to their favorable eco-friendliness as compared to the conventional fuels generally (Biswas et al, 2017). Catalytic cracking, involves adding catalysts along with moderate temperature and pressures, the temperature ranges between 475 to 530 0 C, pressure 20 (atm) and it is used to obtain biofuel with octane number 65-70 as compared to thermal cracking process (pyrolysis), where it operates usually at very high temperatures and pressure, the temperature ranges between 500-700 0 C, pressure 70 (atm), used for vis-breaking and delayed coking processes (Madhusha, 2017).…”