Asian Scientists Unveil Fatty Acids Biofuel Breakthrough  

Scientists in Singapore and China have turned over a new leaf for the biofuel industry and developed a cost effective and eco-friendly catalytic system that turns fatty acids into fuel, without the need for hydrogen or solvent. For the biofuel sector the revelation represents the opportunity to help the world reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and make the switch to a greener, more sustainable future.

Traditionally the biofuel production process involves synthesising fluid by using harsh alkaline conditions to trans-esterify lipids. It’s an effective way to create biofuel however it also generates a large amount of waste solvent. The high oxygen content of the finished product also means that the fuels are not compatible with diesel engines while the soapiness hinders use with fatty acids as the suds deactivate the catalyst.

Now, researchers from Peking University and the National University of Singapore have begun experimenting with using affordable and commercially available nickel-based salts as pre-catalysts. These are able to deoxygenate fatty acids and triglycerides into shorter chain hydrocarbons, without the generation of waste solvent.

So how does it work?

The scientists discovered that the catalytic nickel nanoparticles are created during the reaction process and then stabilised by the fatty acids. The salts are far more active than conventional nickel catalysts and are compatible with a myriad of substrates. As well as being more diverse and eco-friendly than the previously used production technique a preliminary economic analysis has indicated the new system could be a cheaper alternative.

Ning Yan, co-developer explains, “The new route will possess similar production costs compared with the current biodiesel process, however, the capital investment required for plant building will be significantly less.”

Jinzhu Chen in-house biomass conversion expert at the Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion agrees, saying “The work demonstrates the catalytic system can be a lot simpler and cheaper than previously thought, thereby increasing the competiveness of this route.”

The challenges

While the new discovery is an incredibly exciting step forward for the biofuel sector there are still various technical issues that must be tackled before commercialising the innovation. Dmitry Murzin, industrial chemistry and reaction engineer at Finland’s Åbo Akademi University, maintains that “The reported results hint that deoxygenation can occur on nickel without hydrogen, however practical implementation of the results is a long way off.”

Nations are continually looking at ways to minimise their international oil dependence, and biofuel could be the answer. That said, there are other solutions on the table, as discussed in ‘Hydraulic Fracturing - A Further Step to Foreign Oil Independence.’