Investigation of the Possibility of the Synthesis of Sucrose Esters from Biodiesel

Abstract

Growing awareness of the negative environmental impacts of synthetic surfactants and their limited biodegradability require the search for sustainable and environmentally acceptable alternatives. In this context, sucrose esters represent a promising class of green surfactants due to their renewable nature, biodegradability and low toxicity profile. In this work, the synthesis of sucrose derivatives was investigated using sucrose and a mixture of methyl esters of fatty acids (biodiesel), with the use of potassium carbonate as an effective catalyst. The reactions were carried out in the presence of methanol or N,N-dimethylformamide as a solvent, with the aim of examining the influence of reaction conditions on the formation of products. The FTIR technique was used in combination with the appropriate physico-chemical analysis to characterize the obtained synthesis products. The obtained results indicate a significant influence of the choice of solvent on the character of the product, while the use of biodiesel and sucrose as reactants and potassium carbonate as a catalyst provides a perspective for the development of new environmentally friendly surfactants as a promising alternative to synthetic surfactants.