<p> In lab tests, the shrimp shell catalysts converted canola oil to biodiesel (89 percent conversion in three hours) faster and more efficiently than some conventional catalysts. <br /><br />An energy-hungry world, concerned about global warming, increasingly puts its future fuel hopes on renewable fuels like biodiesel. <br /><br />Today's biodiesel production processes, however, require catalysts to speed up the chemical reactions that transform soybean, canola, and other plant oils into diesel fuel. <br /><br />Traditional catalysts cannot be reused and must be neutralised with large amounts of water -- another increasingly scarce resource -- leaving behind a lot of polluted water. <br />The new catalysts can also be reused and the process minimises waste production and pollution, the scientists said.<br /><br />Their study is slated for publication in the Aug 20 issue of The American Chemical Society's Energy & Fuels.</p>
<p> In lab tests, the shrimp shell catalysts converted canola oil to biodiesel (89 percent conversion in three hours) faster and more efficiently than some conventional catalysts. <br /><br />An energy-hungry world, concerned about global warming, increasingly puts its future fuel hopes on renewable fuels like biodiesel. <br /><br />Today's biodiesel production processes, however, require catalysts to speed up the chemical reactions that transform soybean, canola, and other plant oils into diesel fuel. <br /><br />Traditional catalysts cannot be reused and must be neutralised with large amounts of water -- another increasingly scarce resource -- leaving behind a lot of polluted water. <br />The new catalysts can also be reused and the process minimises waste production and pollution, the scientists said.<br /><br />Their study is slated for publication in the Aug 20 issue of The American Chemical Society's Energy & Fuels.</p>