A continuous process for biodiesel production in a fixed bed reactor packed with cation-exchange resin as heterogeneous catalyst

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 102; no. 3; pp. 3607 - 3609
• Main Authors: Feng, Yaohui, Zhang, Aiqing, Li, Jianxin, He, Benqiao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2011; [New York, NY]: Elsevier Ltd; Elsevier
• Subjects: analysis; Animals; Biodiesel; Biofuel production; Biofuels; Biofuels - analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Bioreactors; Biotechnology; Catalysis; catalysts; cation exchange resins; Cation Exchange Resins - chemistry; chemistry; Continuous esterification; continuous systems; Energy; esterification; Fishes; Fixed bed reactor; free fatty acids; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heterogeneous catalyst; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; methanol; methods; Methods. Procedures. Technologies; NKC-9 cation-exchange resin; oils; oleic acid; Refuse Disposal; Refuse Disposal - methods; Skin; Skin - chemistry; Soybean Oil; Soybean Oil - chemistry; temperature; Various methods and equipments; water content; Continuous esterification; Heterogeneous catalyst; NKC-9 cation-exchange resin; Biodiesel; Fixed bed reactor; Continuous process; Heterogeneous catalysis; Cationic resin; Esterification
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.10.115
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976

Continuous esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) from acidified oil with methanol was carried out with NKC-9 cation-exchange resin in a fixed bed reactor with an internal diameter of 25mm and a height of 450mm to produce biodiesel. The results showed that the FFA conversion increased with increases in methanol/oil mass ratio, reaction temperature and catalyst bed height, whereas decreased with increases in initial water content in feedstock and feed flow rate. The FFA conversion kept over 98.0% during 500h of continuous esterification processes under 2.8:1 methanol to oleic acid mass ratio, 44.0cm catalyst bed height, 0.62ml/min feed flow rate and 65°C reaction temperature, showing a much high conversion and operational stability. Furthermore, the loss of sulfonic acid groups from NKC-9 resin into the production was not found during continuous esterification. In sum, NKC-9 resin shows the potential commercial applications to esterification of FFA.