Mg/Al hydrotalcite catalyst for biodiesel production in continuous packed bed reactors

The performances of a commercial Mg/Al hydrotalcite (Pural© MG76) in biodiesel production have been tested in an autoclave and in a continuous packed bed reactor. The obtained results have shown that calcined Mg/Al hydrotalcite (Pural© MG76) is a promising heterogeneous catalyst for biodiesel production because is sufficiently active, deactivates slowly and can easily be regenerated.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (97 K)Download as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Calcined Mg/Al hydrotalcite is confirmed as active catalyst in the transesterification of triglycerides with methanol. ► The dedicated runs in a continuous fixed bed reactor have shown a slow deactivation during the time on stream. ► The catalyst can be completely regenerated by washing with acetone.