Non-Catalytic and Catalytic Transesterification: A Reaction Kinetics Comparison Study

In the present study, a comparison of reaction kinetics for catalytic and non-catalytic transesterification processes using jatropha curcas oil has been evaluated. Optimization of reaction parameters was done using the response surface methodology (RSM) experimental design to establish the optimal parameters for the non-catalytic method. The optimal parameters for the catalytic methods were adopted from our previous published works. The study shows that the yield for non-catalytic method is lower compared to the catalytic methods. This might be attributed by the presence of poly-unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid in jatropha oil which decompose easily at higher temperatures. The activation energies and methanol to oil ratios for catalytic and non-catalytic methods show that the latter is more energy and material consuming. However, the rate constants reveal that the non-catalytic method using supercritical methanol is faster than the catalytic methods.