A Short Review on Catalyst, Feedstock, Modernised Process, Current State and Challenges on Biodiesel Production

Abstract

Biodiesel, comprising mono alkyl fatty acid esters or methyl ethyl esters, is an encouraging option to fossil fuels or diesel produced from petroleum; it has comparable characteristics and its use has the potential to diminish carbon dioxide production and greenhouse gas emissions. Manufactured from recyclable and sustainable feedstocks, e.g., oils originating from vegetation, biodiesel has biodegradable properties and has no toxic impact on ecosystems. The evolution of biodiesel has been precipitated by the continuing environmental damage created by the deployment of fossil fuels. Biodiesel is predominantly synthesised via transesterification and esterification procedures. These involve a number of key constituents, i.e., the feedstock and catalytic agent, the proportion of methanol to oil, the circumstances of the reaction and the product segregation and purification processes. Elements that influence the yield and standard of the obtained biodiesel encompass the form and quantity of the feedstock and reaction catalyst, the proportion of alcohol to feedstock, the temperature of the reaction, and its duration. Contemporary research has evaluated the output of biodiesel reactors in terms of energy production and timely biodiesel manufacture. In order to synthesise biodiesel for industrial use efficaciously, it is essential to acknowledge the technological advances that have significant potential in this sector. The current paper therefore offers a review of contemporary progress, feedstock categorisation, and catalytic agents for the manufacture of biodiesel and production reactors, together with modernised processing techniques. The production reactor, form of catalyst, methods of synthesis, and feedstock standards are additionally subjects of discourse so as to detail a comprehensive setting pertaining to the chemical process. Numerous studies are ongoing in order to develop increasingly efficacious techniques for biodiesel manufacture; these acknowledge the use of solid catalytic agents and non-catalytic supercritical events. This review appraises the contemporary situation with respect to biodiesel production in a range of contexts. The spectrum of techniques for the efficacious manufacture of biodiesel encompasses production catalysed by homogeneous or heterogeneous enzymes or promoted by microwave or ultrasonic technologies. A description of the difficulties to be surmounted going forward in the sector is presented.

Acetalization of Glycerol with Citral over Heteropolyacids Immobilized on KIT-6

“…The reactions involved in the production of biodiesel are transesterification and esterification. These reactions can be performed using NaOH, H 2 SO 4 , and solid catalysts [1][2][3][4][5][6]. However, in recent years, the amount of glycerol has increased.…”

Biodiesel as a transport fuel, advantages and disadvantages: review

“…When considering the opportunities and challenges presented here it is important to take location‐specific factors into account. For example, the use of high‐quality vegetable oil for biodiesel production might not be a problem in countries like the USA, where sunflower and soybean oils are the main feedstocks for biodiesel production at a large‐scale commercial level 79 . In the developing world, however, production of biodiesel from such edible oil would make the biodiesel price very high and this obliges such countries to look for other cheap alternative feedstocks for feasible biodiesel production businesses.…”

“…For example, the use of highquality vegetable oil for biodiesel production might not be a problem in countries like the USA, where sunflower and soybean oils are the main feedstocks for biodiesel production at a large-scale commercial level. 79 In the developing world, however, production of biodiesel from such edible oil would make the biodiesel price very high and this obliges such countries to look for other cheap alternative feedstocks for feasible biodiesel production businesses. Similarly, the coldflow properties of biodiesel fuel, usually mentioned as the main downside of biodiesel used as a fuel, might not be an issue in tropical countries where the ambient temperature is not less than 16 °C.…”

Biocatalysts Synthesized with Lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia on Glycol-Modified ZIF-8: Characterization and Utilization in the Synthesis of Green Biodiesel

“…Homogeneous catalysis is the most widely used technological process for biodiesel production and is based on the use of homogeneous basic catalysts (mainly NaOH or KOH) dissolved in methanol [ 5 ]. Although the reactions for obtaining biodiesel by homogeneous catalysis are fast and offer high conversion rates, they present serious drawbacks when the raw material exhibits high acidity [ 6 , 7 ]. In this case, the catalyst must be neutralized and separated from the methyl ester phase at the end of the reaction, with the subsequent generation of a large volume of wastewater [ 8 ].…”