Low‐temperature chemical glycerolysis to produce diacylglycerols by heterogeneous base catalyst

Abstract

The present study aimed to develop a heterogeneous catalysis process for diacylglycerols (DAG) production through low-temperature chemical glycerolysis. Of the heterogeneous catalysts evaluated, MgO-supported KOH (KOH-MgO) was found effective for the low-temperature chemical glycerolysis, and the KOH-MgO was characterized by FT-IR and powder XRD. Reaction temperature was of paramount importance and 80°C was found necessary to enhance the present reaction. Molar ratio of oil to glycerol at stoichiometric ratio (2:1) gave more DAG formation. 41.8 AE 0.8 wt% of DAG was obtained under these conditions: KOH-MgO concentration 4.5 wt% based on oil, acetone dosage 3:1 (acetone to oil in weight ratio), molar ratio of oil to glycerol 2:1, reaction temperature 80°C and time 12 h.Practical applications: Heterogeneous catalysis has been recognized as green process, it is advantageous over the homogeneous catalysis in terms of separation and reusability of catalysts. The MgO-supported KOH catalyst described in this study can effectively catalyze the low-temperature chemical glycerolysis, it could be considered for practical applications.

Production of diacylglycerols through glycerolysis with SBA‐15 supported Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase as catalyst

“…Glycerolysis of TAG is the primary reaction route for MAG and DAG production due to its high time–space cost efficiency . Compared with chemical glycerolysis, enzymatic glycerolysis has advantages in terms of mild reaction conditions, better selectivity, ‘green’ reaction systems, and less or no glycidol fatty acid ester formation at low temperatures . One of the major process concerns in solvent‐free enzymatic glycerolysis is the poor miscibility between glycerol and TAG, which eventually leads to low mass transfer and overall reaction rate .…”

Diglyceride-rich oils from glycerolysis of edible vegetable oils

“…Solid catalysts have been widely applied to glycerolysis reactions [20,21] but these previous works focused on monoglyceride production. In 2014 Zhong et al [22] reported the use of a KOH-promoted MgO to produce DG by glycerolysis of TG in acetone; a total DG content of 42 wt.% was claimed without providing the concentration of the 1,3-DG isomer in the product.…”

Diacylglycerol‐enriched oil production using chemical glycerolysis

“…Several studies demonstrate the effect of reaction temperature on the conversion of glycerolysis reaction [15,35,37,42]. Generally, increase of temperature affects positively mass transfer process.…”