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Biodiesel production with continuous supercritical process: non-catalytic transesterification and esterification with
Yu-Ting Tsai1, Ho-mu Lin, Ming-Jer Lee
1Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan.
Bioresource Technology
|January 24, 2013
Summary
Supercritical methanol efficiently converts sunflower oil and waste cooking oil into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). This process optimizes biodiesel production, even with free fatty acids present in waste oils.
Area of Science:
- Chemical Engineering
- Renewable Energy Sources
- Green Chemistry
Background:
- Biodiesel production is crucial for sustainable energy.
- Supercritical methanol offers a promising non-catalytic route for transesterification.
- Waste cooking oil (WCO) presents a viable feedstock for biodiesel.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the non-catalytic transesterification of refined sunflower oil and WCO using supercritical methanol.
- To determine the optimal conditions for maximizing fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield.
- To analyze the kinetic behavior of the supercritical esterification and transesterification processes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a tubular reactor for non-catalytic transesterification with supercritical methanol.
- Explored temperatures ranging from 553.2 to 593.2 K and pressures up to 25.0 MPa.
- Investigated the influence of carbon dioxide and free fatty acids (FFAs) on FAME yield.
Main Results:
- Achieved a FAME yield of approximately 0.70 from sunflower oil at 593.2 K and 10.0 MPa.
- Demonstrated that CO2 addition had an insignificant effect on FAME yield.
- Obtained a FAME yield of 0.90 from WCO at 573.2 K in 13 minutes, with FFAs positively contributing.
- Correlated kinetic data using a power-law model.
Conclusions:
- Supercritical methanol is an effective medium for non-catalytic biodiesel production from both refined oils and WCO.
- The presence of FFAs in WCO enhances FAME production under supercritical conditions.
- The power-law model accurately describes the kinetics of supercritical transesterification and esterification.
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