Resumo Estudou-se a síntese de zeólita A empregando resíduo de caulim de recobrimento de papel. O resíduo de caulim foi pré-tratado a 550 ºC para 800 ºC. Para fins de comparação, uma amostra de zeólita A foi também preparada utilizando o procedimento IZA. Os materiais obtidos foram caracterizados por 27Al MAS NMR, difração de raios X e microscopia eletrônica de varredura usando uma microssonda. O pré-tratamento foi necessário, e as melhores temperaturas foram entre 600 e 700 ° C. A formação de zeólita A, foi observada em todos os materiais preparados, atingindo 52% de cristalinidade. Por outro lado, a fase sodalita e materiais amorfos também foram formados.

Abstract The synthesis of zeolite A employing kaolin waste from paper coating was studied. The kaolin waste was pre-treated at 550 to 800 ºC. For comparison purposes, a sample of zeolite A was also prepared using the IZA procedure. The materials were characterized by 27Al MAS NMR, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy using a microprobe. Pretreatment was necessary, and the best temperatures were between 600 and 700 ºC. The zeolite A formation was observed in all the prepared materials, reaching 52% crystallinity. On the other hand, the sodalite phase and amorphous materials were also formed.

This work presents the biofuel production results of the esterification of fatty acids (C12-C18) and high-acid-content waste vegetable oils from different soap stocks (soybean, palm, and coconut) with methanol, ethanol, and butanol by acid catalysis. We used Amberlyst-35 (A35) sulfonic resin as a heterogeneous acid catalyst and p-toluenesulfonic acid as a homogeneous catalyst for comparison. Both the heterogeneous (A35) and homogeneous (p-toluenesulfonic acid) reactions were performed with 5% w/w of catalyst. The final products were analyzed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). The homogeneous catalyzed esterification of fatty acids with methanol, ethanol, and butanol produced esters with yields higher than 90%. In the reaction with fatty acids and methanol catalyzed by A35, the best results were achieved with lauric acid and methanol, with a yield of 97%. An increase in the hydrocarbon chain decreased the rate of conversion and yield for stearic acid with methanol, which was 90%. Maximum biodiesel production was achieved from coconut and soybean soap stocks and methanol (96%-98%), which showed conversions very close to those obtained from their respective fatty acids. Microwave irradiation reduced the reaction time from 6 to 1 h in the esterification reaction of fatty acids with butanol.

Commercial and synthetic mesoporous aluminas impregnated with potassium carbonate were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen physisorption, infrared spectroscopy and 27Al MAS NMR. The activities in the transesterification reaction of sunflower oil with methanol for biodiesel production were evaluated. 27Al MAS NMR spectra evidenced the presence of AlIV and AlVI in the samples, and also of AlV sites in the mesoporous synthesized alumina, which disappeared after impregnation with potassium salt followed by calcination. All aluminas containing potassium were active for biodiesel production from sunflower seed oil, with high conversions by both conventional heating and microwave irradiation.