Low-cost alternative biodiesel production apparatus based on household food blender for continuous biodiesel production for small communities

Abstract

Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) are sustainable biofuel that can alleviate high oil costs and environmental impacts of petroleum-based fuel. A modified 1200 W high-efficiency food blender was employed for continuous transesterification of various refined vegetable oils and waste cooking oil (WCO) using sodium hydroxide as a homogeneous catalyst. The following factors have been investigated on their effects on FAME yield: baffles, reaction volume, total reactant flow rate, methanol-oil molar ratio, catalyst concentration and reaction temperature. Results indicated that the optimal conditions were: 2000 mL reaction volume, 50 mL/min total flow rate, 1% and 1.25% catalyst concentration for refined palm oil and WCO, respectively, 6:1 methanol-to-oil molar ratio and 62–63 °C, obtaining yield efficiency over 96.5% FAME yield of 21.14 × 10–4 g/J (for palm oil) and 19.39 × 10–4 g/J (for WCO). All the properties of produced FAMEs meet the EN 14214 and ASTM D6751 standards. The modified household food blender could be a practical and low-cost alternative biodiesel production apparatus for continuous biodiesel production for small communities in remote areas.

An experimental investigation of the mechanical variables influence on soybean biodiesel production using the response surface methodology

“…In addition, the use of baffles reduces system energy consumption and increases the mixing temperature when compared to a baffle less system. The mass transfer in these systems is more efficient in these systems when combined with the use of paddle impellers, a result also reported by Wongjaikham et al (2021).…”

Heterogeneously catalyzed palm biodiesel production in intensified fruit blender

“…Transesteri cation using homogeneous catalysts requires less energy as the reactants are in two phases, compared to three phases for the heterogeneous catalysts. The satis ed transesteri cation condition of this study based on the heterogeneous base catalyst required a higher fraction of methanol and catalyst loading than homogeneous ones as reported in several pieces of literature [24,37,50]. However, adding a greater methanol fraction can lower the use of the catalyst in the process.…”

“…The high-power fruit blender employed in this research was the same one used in our previous study [24]. In brief, it was 1,200 W Otto brand, model BE127A, with the blending bowl replaced with a 304 stainless steel cylindrical chemical reactor with a maximum liquid handling capacity of 3,000 mL.…”

“…The yield e ciency of biodiesel production based on homogeneous catalysts was higher. Wongjaikham et al [24], Kamjam et al [37], Laosuttiwong et al [50] and Chuah et al [36] performed biodiesel production using NaOH as a catalyst employing the high-power household fruit blender (the same one used in the present work), hand blender, homogenizer, hydrodynamic cavitation and mechanical stirrer, respectively, and the reported yield e ciency was 21.1, 18.0, 169.46, 12.5 and 1.5×10 -4 g/J, respectively. Transesteri cation using homogeneous catalysts requires less energy as the reactants are in two phases, compared to three phases for the heterogeneous catalysts.…”

Temporal and Regional Differences and Empirical Analysis on Sensitive Factors of the Corn Production Cost in China

“…However, research concerned with the circulation cost of agricultural products at the national level lacks necessary data support, making the transaction costs are difficult to measure. Therefore, in order to make complete use of the data at the national level, this paper follows relevant research results [33,34] and conducts quantitative analysis primarily from the perspective of accounting costs. The CPC is taken to be the total consumption of production factors per unit of corn output, including material and service costs, labor costs, and land costs.…”