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

The non-catalytic transesterification of refined sunflower oil with supercritical methanol, in the presence of carbon dioxide, was conducted in a tubular reactor at temperatures from 553.2 to 593.2 K and pressures up to 25.0 MPa. The FAME yield can be achieved up to about 0.70 at 593.2 K and 10.0 MPa in 23 min with methanol:oil of 25:1 in molar ratio. The effect of adding CO2 on the FAME yield is insignificant. The kinetic behavior of the non-catalytic esterification and transesterification of oleic acid or waste cooking oil (WCO) with supercritical methanol was also investigated. By using the supercritical process, the presence of free fatty acid (FFA) in WCO gives positive contribution to FAME production. The FAME yield of 0.90 from WCO can be achieved in 13 min at 573.2 K. The kinetic data of supercritical transesterification and esterifaication were correlated well with a power-law model.

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► Biodiesel production with supercritical fluid technology has been studied.
► Kinetic behavior of transesterification and esterification was investigated.
► A continuous tubular reactor was employed in the kinetics study.
► Waste cooking oil was also used as a feedstock.
► A power law model correlated well the kinetic data.