Comparison of kinetic and thermodynamic modeling of biodiesel production using supercritical transesterification for batch and continuous reactor

Abstract

Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for biodiesel synthesis using supercritical methanol
transesterification were found in this study. The influence of CO2 as a co-solvent on kinetic and thermodynamic
parameters in batch and continuous reactor were also evaluated. The experimental data for determining these
parameters were taken from the literature study. The experimental conditions of determining the kinetic and
thermodynamic parameters were; oil to methanol ratio (1:24), temperature (100-350 ?), pressure (14-26 MPa),
CO2 to methanol ratio (0.1). The biodiesel yield obtained in both reactors was different because of the
dependency of kinetic and thermodynamic parameters on the type of reactor. The kinetic and thermodynamic
parameters were found using a differential method of analysis. The results showed that the rate of reaction was
higher in the continuous reactor as compared to the batch reactor because of high temperature, pressure, and
catalyst presence. The kinetic and thermodynamic parameters found in this study for batch and continuous
reactor were; order of reaction (1.10 and 1.49), change in enthalpy (60 and 67 kJ/mol), activation energy (83.1
and 128 kJ/mol.K) respectively. Therefore, results concluded that biodiesel production in the continuous reactor
in the presence of a catalyst is more advantageous over batch reactor.