The Solid Acid Catalyzed Esterification of Free Fatty Acids in Pongamia Pinnata Oil

Abstract Esterification of free fatty acids in Pongamia pinnata oil has been carried out using two different zeolites. Classical optimization of reaction parameters were carried out with H-ZSM 5 and H-Y zeolites. Based on the experimental results, a methanol to oil ratio of 9:1, with 1% by weight catalyst, a reaction time of 1 h and temperature 60°C were selected as the optimum for the esterification reaction. Kinetic studies were undertaken and the reaction was found to fit a pseudo first order kinetics.