Tunable Mixed Oxides: Efficient Agents for the Simultaneous Trans-Esterification of Lipids and Esterification of Free Fatty Acids from Bio-Oils for the Effective Production of Fames

In this paper we describe our approach to solving t he problem of the simultaneous trans -esterification of lipids (that require a basic catalyst) and esterifi cation of FFAs (that require an acid catalyst), usi ng mixed oxides ad hoc prepared. New mixed oxides based on calcium, cerium and aluminium have been used as catalysts in the reaction of trans -esterification of oils of different composition an d quality, namely: i) extra virgin olive oil as a test case (low acidity) and ii) non-edible oil (high acidity), such as tha t extracted from aquatic biomass ( Nannochloropsis sp microalgae). Among the several catalysts used, 12C aO 7Al 2O3 7CeO 2 has shown unprecedented properties in terms of act ivity and resistance in the simultaneous trans esterification/esterification.