What is the reactor used to make biodiesel?
continuous stirred-tank reactor
The most common continuous-flow system in biodiesel production is the continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR). At first glance a CSTR, such as that shown in Figure 1, appears to be identical to a batch reactor.
What is the process of production of biofuel?
Biodiesel production is the process of producing the biofuel, biodiesel, through the chemical reactions of transesterification and esterification. This involves vegetable or animal fats and oils being reacted with short-chain alcohols (typically methanol or ethanol). The alcohols used should be of low molecular weight.
What technology is used to produce biofuels?
The most common technology of biodiesel production is transesterification of oils (triglycerides) with alcohol which gives biodiesel (fatty acid alkyl esters, FAAE) as main product and glycerin as by product. The basic transesterification reaction is illustrated in Fig 2.
What equipment is needed to make biofuels?
At minimum, the equipment you’ll need for home biodiesel production is a stainless steel reactor tank, a wash station to remove the coproducts, and containers for storing the resulting fuel. You can rig up an electric water heater as a biodiesel reactor for less than $1,000, or spend about the same amount on a kit.
What is transesterification in biodiesel process?
Transesterification is a chemical reaction used for the conversion of triglycerides (fats) contained in oils, (Feedstocks) into usable biodiesel. Biodiesel produced by the process of transesterification has a much lower viscosity, making it capable of replacing petroleum diesel in diesel engines.
How is biodiesel made transesterification?
Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification whereby the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products – methyl esters and glycerin. Methyl esters is the chemical name for biodiesel and glycerin is used in a variety of products, including soap.
What are the four technologies that are used to create bioenergy?
There are four major types of systems: direct-fired, cofiring, gasification, and small modular. Direct-fired combustion: Biomass is the second most utilized renewable power generation source in the United States. The direct-fired power plants are similar to the fossil fuel power plants.
What is biodiesel technology?
Biodiesel is a liquid fuel produced from renewable sources, such as new and used vegetable oils and animal fats and is a cleaner-burning replacement for petroleum-based diesel fuel. Biodiesel is nontoxic and biodegradable and is produced by combining alcohol with vegetable oil, animal fat, or recycled cooking grease.
What are the materials used in biodiesel?
The raw materials for biodiesel production now mainly include biological sources such as vegetable seed oil, soybean oil and some recovered animal fats [1], [2]. Biodiesel is a biodegradable, nontoxic, and clean renewable fuel with properties similar to conventional diesel.
How transesterification is helpful in Biodiesel Production?
Transesterification is an imperative process for biodiesel production, as it can reduce the viscosity of the feedstock/vegetable oils to a level closer to the conventional fossil-based diesel oil [20].
What is the transesterification process?
Transesterification is the process in which fat or oil reacts with an alcohol to form esters and glycerol. A catalyst is used to improve the reaction rate and yield. Because the reaction is reversible, excess alcohol is used to shift the equilibrium to the product side.
How many types of reactors are used for biodiesel production?
Three general types of reactors are used for biodiesel production: batch reactors, semi-continuous-flow reactors, and continuous-flow reactors.
What are the different types of biofuels?
Types of Biofuels: first, second, & third generation biofuels. The types of biofuels that are currently in use include ethanol, biodiesel, and butanol. Ethanol is an alcohol-based fuel produced by fermenting sugars from crops such as corn or sugarcane.
What are the different types of continuous-flow reactors?
The most common type of continuous-flow reactor is the continuous stirred-tank reactor. Other types of continuous-flow reactors are also used commercially, including ultrasonic reactors and supercritical reactors. These alternative procedures can speed up the reaction.
How are biofuels produced?
First generation fuels are derived directly from the feedstock crops; the further down the line you go, the more complex the production process becomes. In terms of the uses of biofuels, the situation may seem simple at first glance: in theory, fuels derived from biomass can be used for the same purposes as fossil fuels.