Synthesis and Characterization of Fatty Acid Furfuryl Ester Mixtures: Biodiesel from Furfuryl Alcohol

The synthesis of biodiesel fuels from triacylglycerols and common alcohols such as methanol and ethanol has been reported using a variety of methods and catalysts. As part of an effort to explore the properties of biodiesel fuels made from novel feedstocks, furfuryl alcohol is used as the alcohol component in biodiesel synthesis. Commercially-available cooking oils were transesterified using furfuryl alcohol and K2CO3 in the presence of a room-temperature ionic liquid catalyst. The resulting product is a fatty acid furfuryl ester (FAFurE) mixture. After purification, the FAFurE product mixtures were analyzed using 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Percentage conversion values were calculated using integration data from the NMR spectra. Percent conversion values ranged from 19 to 75%. The wide range in percent conversion has been attributed to steric interactions between the bulky nucleophile and polyunsaturated fatty acid chains in the oils used. This work represents a proof-of-concept that furfuryl alcohol can serve as an alternative alcohol source for biodiesel fuels or biodiesel additives.