Alkylguanidine-catalyzed heterogeneous transesterification of soybean oil

Transesterification of soybean oil with methanol has been carried out in the presence of heterogenized alkylguanidines as catalysts. The alkylguanidines were anchored to modified polystyrene or siliceous MCM-41, encapsulated in the supercages of zeolite Y, or entrapped in SiO2 sol-gel matrices. The catalytic activity of these catalysts was compared with that of their homogeneous counterparts, showing that the yields of methyl esters obtained in the homogeneous phase can be obtained with the guanidines anchored to the supports after longer reaction times. The catalysts prepared by immobilization of alkylguanidines in microporous systems showed diffusion restrictions for the vegetable oil as well as the low stability of the inorganic framework.