Methanolysis of rapeseed oil to fatty acid methyl esters using microencapsulated CaO and TiO2-supported chromium oxide under light irradiation

• Cr2O3/TiO2 powder was prepared as a new photothermal exchange material
• CaO–Cr2O3/TiO2-loaded microcapsule exhibited a FAME yield of 70% at 303 K
• Cr2O3/TiO2 powder absorbed a wide range of light wavelengths evenly
• Photothermal exchange phenomenon triggered light-driven methanolysis of rapeseed oil
• Irradiation power affected the temperature inside microcapsules and FAME yields

TiO2-supported chromium oxide was prepared and characterized. Its high absorption of a broad range of light and lack of photocatalytic activity suggest that it is suitable as a photothermal exchange material. Therefore, alginate microcapsules loaded with CaO and TiO2-supported chromium oxide were prepared and used to catalyze the methanolysis of rapeseed oil to fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). A FAME yield of 70% was obtained with the microcapsule system under irradiation with a full range of wavelengths (3.6 W) after 6 h at 303 K. In addition, the irradiation power affected the temperature inside the microcapsules and the FAME yields. Thus, the final FAME yield in the microcapsule system was determined by the temperature inside the microcapsule, which was controlled by the power of the light irradiation absorbed by the TiO2-supported chromium oxide.

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