Esterification of free fat acids from waste cooking oil using BiVO4 photocatalysts under visible irradiation
摘要
Herein, we report the FFA photoesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO) using a BiVO4 and visible irradiation. Despite undergoing treatments under different temperatures (120 °C and 150 °C), both synthesized samples presented high crystallinity and similar morphologies, corresponding to a mixture composed of the scheelite structure of monoclinic and tetragonal phases of BiVO4. The FFA conversions with the photocatalysts were significantly higher than the non-catalytic reactions. The gas chromatography analysis shows that the products are composed of a mixture of ethyl esters and a low amount of fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE). The results demonstrate that the photoesterification of FFA of non-edible vegetable oils can be driven by BiVO4 photocatalysts under visible irradiation, at regular temperature, reduced ethanol/oil molar ratio, and short times.
Graphical Abstract