Abstract:
Monoglyceride preparation from esterification of oleic acid with glycerol was evaluated with acid-activated clay catalysts. The goal of this study is to obtain an improvement of clay properties such as specific surface area, porosity and acidity. The acid-activated clays were prepared by refluxing the raw clay with sulfuric acid at 120°C, drying in the oven at 100°C overnight and crushing. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM analysis, N₂ adsorption and acidbase titration. From our study, the 0.5 M H₂SO₄ acid- activated bentonite catalyst provided better results than the others. The acid conversions were in range of 51.4% to 94.6% and the highest mono-glyceride yield and selectivity were 34.1% and 66.3% when using 3:1 molar ratio of glycerol:oleic acid, 5.0 wt.% of catalyst, 160°C for 30 min.
