Immobilization of calcium oxide onto polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers as a heterogeneous catalyst for biodiesel production.

We describe the design, creation, and usage of a CaO catalyst immobilized onto polymeric mats for environmentally-friendly biodiesel production. The polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber mats were prepared by electrohydrodynamic processing (EHD), commonly known as electrospinning or electrospraying, in which immobilized CaO particles were either physically entrapped on the fibers or chemically bound onto the fiber surface by a dopamine linkage. These two catalyst materials were later successfully used in the transesterification of fresh canola oil into biodiesel. Mechanically entrapped CaO particles in the PAN fibers were able to be re-used up to six times in the conversion of triglycerides into biodiesel, while the chemically immobilized catalyst was found impossible to reuse. The use of EHD processing allows us to create an easily separable, reusable catalyst that could be commonly used in transesterification reactions. • Mats made from PAN nanofibers via electrospinning to immobilize heterogenous catalyst • Immobilization of CaO catalyst via both physical and chemical bonding onto the fibers • Successful transesterification of Canola oil using immobilized CaO catalytic mats • Environmentally-friendly biodiesel production—easily separable, reusable catalyst [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]