Continuous biodiesel production in a cascade of flow ideally stirred reactors

An Overview on the Production of Biodiesel Enabled by Continuous Flow Methodologies

Biodiesel was produced via transesterification reaction catalyzed by acids, bases, enzymes or supercritical fluids. The catalysis was homogeneous or heterogeneous and the process could be carried out in batch or using a continuous flow process. Microreactors allowed us to obtain better control of the experimental variables, such as temperature, pressure and flow rate, carrying out the reactions in safe conditions, avoiding exothermic and dangerous processes. The synthetic methodologies in continuous flow, combined with other technologies as microwave irradiation or ultrasounds, led to complete automation of the process with an increase in efficiency, also applicable on an industrial scale.

Biodiesel production in packed-bed reactors using lipase-nanoparticle biocomposite

The development of appropriate reactors is crucial for the production of biodiesel. In this study, a packed-bed reactor system using lipase-Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticle biocomposite catalyst was successfully developed for biodiesel production based on soybean oil methanolysis. Emulsification before methanolysis improved the reaction rate. The lipase-nanoparticle biocomposite showed high activity and stability in the single-packed-bed reactor at an optimal flow rate (0.25 mL min(-1)). After 240 h of reaction, the conversion rate was sustained as high as 45%. The conversion rate and stability achieved using the four-packed-bed reactor were much higher than those achieved using the single-packed-bed reactor. The conversion of biodiesel was maintained at a high rate of over 88% for 192 h, and it only slightly declined to approximately 75% after 240 h of reaction. The packed-bed reactor system, therefore, has a great potential for achieving the design and operation of enzymatic biodiesel production on the industrial scale.