A Comparative Study of the Catalytic Activity of Sulfonic Acid Cation-Exchange Resins with a Macroporous and Gel Structure in Fatty Acid Esterification

The activity and stability of cation-exchange resins in fatty acid esterification with methyl alcohol have been studied. The cation-exchange resins have been characterized by IR spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption (BET method). It has been shown that, due to a developed surface and a larger pore volume, the reaction products are readily desorbed and thereby prevent the catalytic sites from blocking and the catalyst from losing activity. Of the studied cation-exchange resins, the best results have been obtained in the case of using the Lewatit MonoPlus SP 112 cation-exchange resin with a macroporous structure.

Automated summary

The activity and stability of cation-exchange resins in fatty acid esterification with methyl alcohol were studied. It was found that the developed surface and larger pore volume of the cation-exchange resins facilitated the desorption of reaction products, preventing catalytic site blockage and catalyst deactivation. Among the studied resins, the Lewatit MonoPlus SP 112 cation-exchange resin with a macroporous structure exhibited the best results.