Biodiesel production with continuous supercritical process: Non-catalytic transesterification and esterification with or without carbon dioxide

Transesterification of oils and lipids in supercritical methanol is commonly carried out in the absence of a catalyst. In this work, supercritical methanol, carbon dioxide, and acetic acid were used to produce biodiesel from soybean oil. Supercritical carbon dioxide was added to reduce the reaction temperature and increase the fats dissolved in the reaction medium. Acetic acid was added to reduce the glycerol byproduct and increase the hydrolysis of fatty acids. The Taguchi method was used to identify optimal conditions in the biodiesel production process. With an optimal reaction temperature of 280°C, a methanol-to-oil ratio of 60, and an acetic acid-to-oil ratio of 3, a 97.83% yield of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) was observed after 90 min at a reaction pressure of 20 MPa. While the common approach to biodiesel production results in a glycerol byproduct of about 10% of the yield, the practices reported in this research can reduce the glycerol byproduct by 30.2% and thereby meet international standards requiring a FAME content of >96%.

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Use of supercritical methanol/carbon dioxide mixtures for biodiesel production

Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering ◽

10.1007/s11814-016-0069-7 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 33 (8) ◽

pp. 2342-2349 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

María Belén García-Jarana ◽

Jezabel Sánchez-Oneto ◽

Juan Ramón Portela ◽

Lourdes Casas ◽

Casimiro Mantell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Biodiesel Production ◽

Supercritical Methanol

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Aspects of Carbon Dioxide Mitigation by Nannochloropsis oculata Cultured in a Photobioreactor

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.625.775 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 625 ◽

pp. 775-779

Author(s):

Vijendren Krishnan ◽

Yoshimitsu Uemura ◽

Suzana Yusup ◽

Norridah Osman

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emission ◽

Lipid Synthesis ◽

Carbon Dioxide Concentration ◽

Nannochloropsis Oculata ◽

Marine Microalgae ◽

Biodiesel Production ◽

Photobioreactor Design ◽

Reduce Carbon Dioxide ◽

Carbon Dioxide Mitigation

This paper primarily presents on carbon dioxide mitigation by marine microalgae. Among the potential marine microalgae,Nannochloropsis oculatahas been identified as a promising species which can be utilized to reduce carbon dioxide concentration via photosynthesis process. The growth ofN. oculataand lipid synthesis for biodiesel production is influenced by various aspects. The aspects that are focused in this paper include light source and intensity, temperature, carbon dioxide concentration, and photobioreactor design. Besides, emerging technologies that are able to increase the efficiency of carbon dioxide reduction were also highlighted. As a whole,N. oculatamight play a key role in reducing the global carbon dioxide emission as well as enhancing the biodiesel production.

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Effect of System Conditions for Biodiesel Production via Transesterification Using Carbon Dioxide–Methanol Mixtures in the Presence of a Heterogeneous Catalyst

ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering ◽

10.1021/sc400349g ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 387-395 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Lindsay Soh ◽

Joshua Curry ◽

Eric J. Beckman ◽

Julie B. Zimmerman

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Heterogeneous Catalyst ◽

Biodiesel Production

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