@article { ISI:000242010600002,
	title = {Hydrophobic, solid acid catalysts for production of biofuels and lubricants},
	journal = {Applied Catalysis A-General},
	volume = {314},
	number = {2},
	year = {2006},
	month = {NOV},
	pages = {148-159},
	publisher = {ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV},
	type = {Article},
	address = {PO BOX 211, 1000 AE AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS},
	abstract = {<p>A novel application of Fe-Zn double-metal cyanide (DMC) complexes as solid catalysts in the preparation of fatty acid alkyl esters (biodiesel/biolubricants) from vegetable oils is reported. The catalysts are hydrophobic (no H2O adsorption at reaction temperatures) and contain only Lewis acidic sites (NH3 and pyridine adsorption). Bronsted acid sites are absent (absence of 1546 and 1639 cm(-1) bands on adsorption of pyridine). Basic sites are also absent (no CO2 adsorption). Unlike the homogeneous or other solid catalysts (like ZnO-Al2O3, for example), the Fe-Zn, DMC catalysts are highly active even for the simultaneous transesterification of triglycerides and esterification of the free fatty acids (FFA) present in unrefined and waste cooking oils as well as non-edible oils. They are also tolerant of water, probably, due to their surface hydrophobicity. A relationship between the transesterification activity and the concentration of strong Lewis acid sites has been observed. Coordinatively unsaturated Zn2+ ions in the structure of the Fe-Zn complex are the probable active sites. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.</p>},
	keywords = {alcoholysis of vegetable oils, Biodiesel, Biolubricants, double-metal cyanides (DMC), esterification of free fatty acids, fatty acid alkyl esters, fatty acid methyl esters, solid Fe-Zn catalysts, transesterification of vegetable oils},
	issn = {0926-860X},
	doi = {10.1016/j.apcata.2006.08.012},
	author = {Sreeprasanth, Pulinthanathu Sree and Srivastava, R. and Srinivas, D. and Ratnasamy, P.}
}
@article {46147,
	title = {Epoxidation of karanja (Millettia pinnata) oil methyl esters in the presence of hydrogen peroxide over a simple niobium-containing catalyst},
	journal = {Catalysts},
	volume = {9},
	year = {2019},
	month = {APR},
	pages = {344},
	type = {Article},
	abstract = {<p>The synthesis, characterization and catalytic performance of a conceptually simple, novel NbOx-SiO2 catalyst are here described. The niobium(V)-silica catalyst was prepared starting from cheap and viable reactants, by alkaline deposition of NH4Nb(C2O4)(2)H2O in the presence of fructose as a stabilizer and subsequent calcination. The NbOx-SiO2 solid (0.95 Nb wt.\%) was tested in the liquid-phase epoxidation with aqueous hydrogen peroxide of methyl oleate, as a model substrate. It was then tested in the epoxidation of a mixture of methyl esters (FAMEs) obtained by transesterification with methanol and purification of karanja oil, extracted from the autochthonous Indian variety of Millettia pinnata tree. The catalyst showed a promising performance in terms of methyl oleate conversion (up to 75\%) and selectivity to epoxide (up to 82\%). It was then tested on the FAME mixture from karanja oil, where interesting conversion values were attained (up to 70\%), although with lower selectivities and yields to the mixture of desired epoxidized FAMEs. The solid withstood four catalytic cycles overall, during which a non-negligible surface reorganization of the Nb(V) sites was observed. However, this restructuring did not negatively affect the performance of the catalysts in terms of conversion or selectivity.</p>
},
	keywords = {epoxidation, fatty acid methyl esters, heterogeneous catalysis, Hydrogen peroxide, karanja oil, mesoporous silica catalyst, Millettia pinnata, niobium catalysts},
	issn = {2073-4344},
	doi = {10.3390/catal9040344},
	author = {Scotti, Nicola and Ravasio, Nicoletta and Evangelisti, Claudio and Psaro, Rinaldo and Penso, Michele and Niphadkar, Prashant S. and Bokade, Vijay V. and Guidotti, Matteo}
}
