Titanium Dioxide as a Catalyst in Biodiesel Production

Abstract

The discovery of alternative fuels that can replace conventional fuels has become the goal of many scientific researches. Biodiesel is produced from vegetable oils through a transesterification reaction that converts triglycerides into fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), with the use of a low molecular weight alcohol, in different reaction conditions and with different types of catalysts. Titanium dioxide has shown a high potential as heterogeneous catalyst due to high surface area, strong metal support interaction, chemical stability, and acid–base property. This review focused on TiO2 as heterogeneous catalyst and its potential applications in the continuous flow production of biodiesel. Furthermore, the use of micro reactors, able to make possible chemical transformations not feasible with traditional techniques, will enable a reduction of production costs and a greater environmental protection.