US Multifunctional Nanoparticles Make Green Diesel Cheaper

Researchers at Ames Laboratory, part of the U.S. Department of Energy, have created a groundbreaking nanoparticle that enhances the production of green diesel fuel. This innovation not only reduces the cost of diesel but also makes the final product more environmentally sustainable. The new method for producing green diesel builds upon traditional biodiesel processes. While biodiesel is made by reacting fats, oils, and ethanol, green diesel is produced through hydrogenation of fatty acids and oils. The chemical structure of green diesel closely resembles that of regular diesel, making it a more stable and energy-dense alternative to biodiesel. Amy Slugin, a researcher at Ames Laboratory, explained during an interview with the Physics Organization Network on May 12th: “When using raw materials high in free fatty acids, such as microalgae oil, to make biodiesel, we typically need to first remove the fatty acids that interfere with the catalyst. Then, we perform a catalytic reaction. Our newly designed multifunctional nanoparticle streamlines this process by combining multiple reactions into one, making the production faster and resulting in a greener diesel than conventional biodiesel.” Previously, the Ames research team, including Sternen, successfully applied a dual-function mesoporous nanoparticle for the first time in the reaction process. These particles contain an amine group that captures free fatty acids and nickel nanoparticles that act as catalysts during the conversion of fatty acids into green diesel. Nickel is often referred to as the "sweet spot" in scientific research due to its significantly lower cost compared to precious metals like platinum or palladium used in traditional hydrogenation methods. However, Slugin noted that using only nickel can lead to overly aggressive reactions, causing the hydrocarbon chains to break down. This results in a low-quality fuel product. But when they introduced the component responsible for capturing fatty acids, a remarkable change occurred: the molecules no longer cracked, and the resulting hydrocarbons resembled diesel more closely. Additionally, other valuable components of the oil remained, which could be used in industries like pharmaceuticals and food. To further improve the process, the Slugin team replaced nickel with iron as the catalyst. Iron is 100 times cheaper than nickel, not only speeding up the conversion process but also reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Slugin shared these findings in the *Journal of Catalytic Science* in May, stating that the technology has strong potential for industrial scalability.

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