Engineering of Active Sites in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Biodiesel Production

The production of biodiesel using solid catalysts is a sustainable methodology to renewable fuels from the valorization of biomass derived oils and fats. Here, the use of tailorable multifunctional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as heterogeneous catalysts for esterification/transesterification reactions is reviewed, which allows the synthesis of biodiesel molecules under broader and safer conditions. The influence of engineering of active sites at either the nodes or porous cavities in MOFs as reusable Lewis/Bronsted acid catalysts to produce higher yields of biodiesel during several reaction cycles is described. The examples described here indicate the promising activity and stability of these novel materials in the sustainable production of biofuels.