Biodiesel Production from Integration Between Reaction and Separation System: Reactive Distillation Process

• Published in: Applied biochemistry and biotechnology Vol. 161; no. 1-8; pp. 245 - 254
• Main Authors: de Lima da Silva, Nívea, Santander, Carlos Mario Garcia, Batistella, César Benedito, Filho, Rubens Maciel, Maciel, Maria Regina Wolf
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York New York : Humana Press Inc 01-05-2010; Humana Press Inc; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: animal fats and oils; Animals; Biochemistry; Biodegradation; biodiesel; Biodiesel fuels; Biofuel production; Biofuels; Biological and medical sciences; Bioreactors; Biotechnology; Carbon monoxide; Catalysis; catalysts; Chemical engineering; Chemical reactions; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chromatography - methods; Crop production; Distillation; Distillation - methods; Distillation apparatus; Energy; Ethanol; Ethanol - chemistry; Experimental design; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Models, Theoretical; Petroleum hydrocarbons; Process engineering; separation; Soybean oil; Soybean Oil - chemistry; Soybeans; Sulfur; Sulfur dioxide; transesterification; Vegetable oils; Reactive distillation; Transesterification; Biodiesel; Ethyl esters; Ester; Separation; Production; Biofuel; Operating process
• ISSN: 0273-2289; 1559-0291
• DOI: 10.1007/s12010-009-8882-7

Biodiesel is a clean burning fuel derived from a renewable feedstock such as vegetable oil or animal fat. It is biodegradable, non-inflammable, non-toxic, and produces lesser carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and unburned hydrocarbons than petroleum-based fuel. The purpose of the present work is to present an efficient process using reactive distillation columns applied to biodiesel production. Reactive distillation is the simultaneous implementation of reaction and separation within a single unit of column. Nowadays, it is appropriately called “Intensified Process”. This combined operation is especially suited for the chemical reaction limited by equilibrium constraints, since one or more of the products of the reaction are continuously separated from the reactants. This work presents the biodiesel production from soybean oil and bioethanol by reactive distillation. Different variables affect the conventional biodiesel production process such as: catalyst concentration, reaction temperature, level of agitation, ethanol/soybean oil molar ratio, reaction time, and raw material type. In this study, the experimental design was used to optimize the following process variables: the catalyst concentration (from 0.5 wt.% to 1.5 wt.%), the ethanol/soybean oil molar ratio (from 3:1 to 9:1). The reactive column reflux rate was 83 ml/min, and the reaction time was 6 min.