Energy saving in a biodiesel production process based on self-heat recuperation technology

•Self-heat recuperation technology was applied on biodiesel production process.•Both the sensible and latent waste heat was recirculated in the proposed process.•Energy requirement was reduced by 71% by using self-heat recuperation technology.

Acid-catalyzed biodiesel production processes offer a competitive alternative for biodiesel production using waste cooking oil as raw materials and are less complex than alkali-catalyzed approaches. However, acid-catalyzed biodiesel processes are not yet commercialized because of high energy requirements, especially for the recovery of excess methanol and purification of the biodiesel and glycerol. We have developed an advanced biodiesel production process with energy savings through application of self-heat recuperation technology for methanol recovery and biodiesel and glycerol purification. Both the sensible and latent waste heat were recirculated within the proposed process, significantly reducing energy requirements. Simulation showed that the total energy requirement of the proposed process was 378.7 kW h per ton biodiesel, some 71% lower than that of the conventional biodiesel production process.