Zeolitic core@shell adsorbents for the selective removal of free glycerol from crude biodiesel

Abstract

Selective adsorption of free glycerol from crude biodiesel was investigated by using mesoporous silica spheres coated with a thin shell of microporous silicalite-1. A polycrystalline silicalite-1 shell was formed upon first covering the external surfaces of various core templates with discrete silicalite-1 nanocrystals, and this was followed by short hydrothermal treatment to ensure shell uniformity. Batch glycerol adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the ability of the sorbents to remove free glycerol selectively from crude biodiesel mixtures at various temperatures, also in comparison to that of conventional sorbents, for example, bare mesoporous silica gel spheres and zeolites. The silicalite-1 shell provided a microporous membrane that hindered the diffusion of fatty acid methyl esters into the mesopores of the composite sorbent, whereas the large pore volume of the mesoporous core enabled multilayer glycerol adsorption; this ultimately substantially enhanced the performance in terms of purification yield and adsorption capacity.