Comparative study on biodiesel production from Jatropha Curcas oil by supercritical and chemical catalytic method: a mathematical approach

ABSTRACT

Jatropha curcas oil is a renewable raw material which has been widely used for the production of biodiesel (BD) using various processes. This research article presents a study about BD production via chemical catalytic transesterification reaction method, supercritical methanol (SCM) method, and SCM with stirrer method. On this viewpoint, mathematical models of transesterification reaction process are formulated. The model systems are solved mathematically as well as numerically and the optimum value of important parameters, including reaction temperature, stirrer speed, and the molar ratio of methanol to oil, are found out. A comparative mathematical study has been made among these three processes with respect to product efficiency, reaction conditions, and mass transfer. Furthermore, control theoretic approach is applied in mixing intensity through supercritical process for cost-effective production of BD from Jatropha curcas oil. The optimum conditions were found to be 323K temperature, 6:1 mol/mol for methanol to oil ratio, and 561 rpm for stirrer speed. It may be concluded that SCM with stirrer is a promising alternative to produce BD from Jatropha curcas oil due to its economical benefit, high productivity, and good quality of the product. The validity of the models is established by experimental results available in literature.

KEYWORDS:

• Jatropha curcas
• biodiesel
• supercritical
• mass transfer
• control theoretic approach

Funding

Research is supported by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, SERB, file number EEQ/2017/000723, dated March 16, 2018.