Catalyzing Biodiesel Growth

Biodiesel Magazine
By Bryan Sims February 28, 2012

An analysis of conventional acid and base catalysts used in today’s biodiesel industry

Catalysts play an important role in the overall profitability of a biodiesel production enterprise. Minimizing catalyst use, particularly homogenous catalysts, while simultaneously maximizing product quality and process yield is a pervasive challenge that every biodiesel producer encounters daily because, after all, single digit differences in yield can determine whether margins are positive or negative.

Among the most common and reliable catalysts for traditional transesterification of biodiesel, one that has supported the steady production volume increases over the past decade, is the homogenous, ready-to-use base catalysts of sodium and potassium methylate. Some smaller plants and many backyard brewers still prepare catalyst themselves by mixing sodium or potassium hydroxide (caustic soda or potash, respectively) with methanol, a practice that was more common years ago, but today the homogeneous catalyst of choice in the industry today is ready-to-use sodium methylate. Biodiesel producers tout the benefits of using sodium methylate as a catalyst—either in its solid crystal state or in a solution with methanol—including increased biodiesel yield, lower purification costs and more consistent quality.

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