Optimization of temperature and molar flow ratios of triglyceride/alcohol in biodiesel production in a batch reactor

ABSTRACT

Biodiesel is an alternative diesel fuel that is produced from vegetable oils and animal fats. The development of alternative fuels from biodegradable resources has been considered seriously in recent years. In this work the optimization of a batch pilot performance for the production of biodiesel was investigated. The optimization was performed through studying the operating conditions including reaction temperature and molar flow ratios of triglyceride/alcohol, for the minimization of reaction time and also maximization of methyl ester (biodiesel) concentration by finding the best temperature profile in an appropriate time (100 min). The optimization was done by programming in MATLAB® software. During the simulations the triglyceride/alcohol molar flow ratios were examined at values of 1:1, 1:2, 1:4 and 1:6, of which the best value was the mole ratio of 1:4. Additionally, the best temperature profile was achieved for this molar flow ratio, which was equal to 334 K.

KEYWORDS:

• Biodiesel
• modeling
• optimization
• mole ratio
• temperature

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.