Rule of Thumb for Reactor Design and Process Condition for Biodiesel Production

The rule of thumb for reactor design and process condition for biodiesel production is introduced. The important aspect includes type of feedstock oil, catalyst selection, methanol/oil ratio, quality of the produced biodiesel. When low quality plant oil is used as the feedstock, its pre-treatment is required for removal of free fatty acids. Both catalyst selection and methanol/oil molar ratio appreciably influence conversion ratio into fatty acid methyl esters. After the reaction, purification to remove some impurities is required for controlling quality of the produced biodiesel, because there is the quality standards for transportation fuel. Further, it is important to consider the way for recycling glycerol of by-product.