Esterification of levulinic acid with straight chain alcohols and study of performance evaluation as fuel additives
Levulinic acid; surfactants; alkyl levulinates; esterification.
The use of biomass to produce biofuels and chemicals products becomes increasingly interesting. Of the point of view techno- and socio-economical, biomass production with agricultural residual are preferred sources. Levulinic acid (LA) is a potential renewable alternative obtained by lignocellulosic biomass and the esterification of LA is a route to synthetize alkyl levulinate such as methyl, ethyl, n-butyl, hexyl levulinates, essential energy compounds which possesses the potential for fuel-blending and a potential as a biodegradable nonionic surfactant. In this paper, a comparative study of synthesis of alkyl levulinates will be evaluated, analyzing the operational conditions of time, temperature and quantity of catalyst. In a second step, the levulinates will be evaluated in internal combustion engines as a fuel additive. Finally, a life cycle assessment will be carried out throughout the process.