Solar Energy for a Solvent Recovery Stage in a Biodiesel Production Process

León, José Á.; Montero, Gisela; Coronado, Marcos A.; Ayala, José R.; García, Conrado; Luna, Aníbal; Vázquez, Ana María

doi:10.1155/2016/1048095

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The analysis method was described as follows. The initial temperature was 30 • C, using N 2 as the carrier gas, with a flow rate of 20 cm 3 …”

Section: Thermogravimetric (Tg) Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Biodiesel is one of the most produced biofuels. It is a green and renewable fuel obtained from lipids, vegetable oils and animal fats [2,3]. It is produced by the reaction of triglycerides with a short chain alcohol in the presence of an acid, alkali or enzymatic catalyst to obtain the mixture of fatty acid methyl esters known as biodiesel [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Quality Assessment of Biodiesel Blends Proposed by the New Mexican Policy Framework

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Nowadays, biodiesel is being promoted worldwide as a sustainable and alternative to diesel fuel. However, there is still a lack of a biodiesel market in Mexico. Hence, a new initiative to reform the Mexican biofuels framework by decree includes the production and use of biodiesel. This regulation can ensure and contribute to the development of the biodiesel market in Mexico. The initiative proposes to start from the B5.8 blend by the end of 2017 and reach the B10 by 2020. Therefore, the objective of the present work was the quality assessment of biodiesel blends proposed by the new Mexican policy framework. The techniques applied were Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence analysis, scanning electron microscopy analysis, viscosity, higher heating value, thermogravimetric analysis, refractive index, acid number, specific gravity, flash point, and copper strip corrosion based on ASTM standards. The results indicate that the biodiesel and its blends B5.8 and B10 fulfilled relevant quality specifications established in the ASTM D6751 and EN14214 standards for fuels. However, the fuel blends presented a higher heating value (HHV) diminution. The experimental HHV percentages decrease for the mandatory mixtures compared to diesel were 2.29% (B10), and 0.29% (B5.8).

show abstract

“…The analysis method was described as follows. The initial temperature was 30 • C, using N 2 as the carrier gas, with a flow rate of 20 cm 3 …”

Section: Thermogravimetric (Tg) Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality Assessment of Biodiesel Blends Proposed by the New Mexican Policy Framework

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The biodiesel production process was simulated in ASPEN PLUS ®, and the solar energy supply was studied for the annual average environmental conditions of Mexicali, Baja California, México in TRNSYS ® , following the methodology developed in previous works [33,34]. The supply and storage system of the thermal energy necessary to operate the process was implemented by the solar heating of a heat transfer fluid (HTF).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermodynamic Analysis of Waste Vegetable Oil Conversion to Biodiesel with Solar Energy

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Exergy and energy analyses of two biodiesel production processes that integrate solar energy as the main energy source were developed to determine the process with the higher efficiency from an energy and exergy approach. The biodiesel production processes were simulated in ASPEN PLUS®, and the solar energy supply was studied in TRNSYS®, using EXCEL® simultaneously for the exergetic analysis. The solar thermal energy collection system can supply 81% of the energy required by the alkali process in the Flash separation equipment. For the supercritical process, solar thermal energy can supply 74.5% of the energy in the preheating and separation stages. The energy efficiency of the supercritical process is higher; nevertheless, the exergetic efficiency of the alkaline process is higher than the supercritical one. Solar collection systems contribute from 85% to 93% of the exergy destroyed by the global process for both cases. The alkaline biodiesel production process has the highest advantages when using solar energy as the main source of energy, compared to a process in supercritical conditions that presents greater irreversibilities and requires more infrastructure to collect the solar resource. However, using solar energy as the foremost energy source offers an alternative to fossil fuels, and it provides an environmental benefit concurrently with the use of biodiesel.

show abstract

“…In previous studies, a methodology was developed for the evaluation of the coupling of solar energy to a biodiesel production process. Where the energy loads were determined from the biodiesel production simulation in Aspen Plus, an array of solar collectors was structured through TRNSYS to supply the required energy in the recovery of methanol for the process [9]. This work starts with the previously developed methodology, but the study explores not only the application of solar energy in the recovery of solvents but also in the reaction conditions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Renewable Energy Integration: Economic Assessment of Solar Energy to Produce Biodiesel at Supercritical Conditions

León

Montero

Coronado

et al. 2018

International Journal of Photoenergy

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent years, research on noncatalytic methods for biodiesel production has increased, mainly processes under supercritical conditions that allow the processing of waste vegetable oils (WVO) without the need to use catalysts, where the absence of catalyst simplifies the processes of purification of biodiesel. The high consumption of alcohol and energy to maintain the appropriate conditions of pressure and temperature of the reaction has turned the processes of supercritical conditions into an unfeasible method. However, the stages of biodiesel purification and methanol recovery are more straightforward, allowing the reduction of the total energy consumption by 25% compared to alkaline methods. Therefore, the present work describes a study through Aspen Plus® of the production of biodiesel by a process in supercritical conditions with WVO as raw material. Also, a solar collector arrangement was structured using the TRNSYS® simulator to supply energy to the process. To evaluate the economic feasibility of the proposed process, the installation of a pilot plant in Mexicali, Baja California, was considered. The internal rate of return (IRR) and the net present value (NPV) were determined for ten-year period. The planned system allows supplying solar energy, 69.5% of the energy required by the process, thus reducing the burning of fossil fuels and the operation cost. Despite the additional investment cost, for the solar collectors, the process manages to maintain a competitive production cost of USD 0.778/l of biodiesel. With an IRR of 31.7%, the investment is recovered before the fifth year of operation. The integration and implementation of clean technologies are vital in the development of the biofuels.

show abstract

Solar Energy for a Solvent Recovery Stage in a Biodiesel Production Process

Cited by 8 publications

References 31 publications

Quality Assessment of Biodiesel Blends Proposed by the New Mexican Policy Framework

Quality Assessment of Biodiesel Blends Proposed by the New Mexican Policy Framework

Thermodynamic Analysis of Waste Vegetable Oil Conversion to Biodiesel with Solar Energy

Renewable Energy Integration: Economic Assessment of Solar Energy to Produce Biodiesel at Supercritical Conditions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About