Improved Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Transesterification of Fats and Oils to Biodiesel

World oil reserves are concentrated in just a few countries, primarily in the Middle East which holds nearly two-thirds of the world's oil reserves. With a rising demand in industrialized nations and an even faster increasing demand from developing countries (e.g. India, China, etc.), the pressure on these oil reserves increases and could serve as a basis for future conflicts between nations aiming to secure the remaining reserves for themselves. A strategy to mitigate this risk is to develop alternative energy sources such as biofuels. This Phase II SBIR proposal describes the development of a heterogeneous transesterification catalyst for the conversion of oil to biodiesel. The immediate commercial application of the proposed technology is the oil-to-biodiesel transesterification reaction that currently takes place at biorefineries. Biorefineries currently use a single-use, homogeneous catalyst in a batch reaction process that requires considerable post-reaction processing. The proposed catalyst would be used in continuous process which has numerous industrial advantages. The technology also has potential applications for the production of pharmaceuticals and other high-priced specialty chemicals.