Kinetics of esterification and transesterification for biodiesel production in two-step process
The kinetics of esterification and transesterification for biodiesel production in two-step process from waste cooking oil (WCO) was discussed.Using activated carbon loaded with ferric sulfate[Fe2(SO4)3 /AC] as a supported catalyst,the controlling step of esterification kinetics and parameters in the kinetic equation were determined by measuring the conversion rate of free fatty acid (FFA) in WCO under the conditions of different reaction temperatures and different methanol/FFA molar ratios, the esterification kinetic equation was established within the range of experimental temperatures.The macro-kinetic equation of triglycerides (TG) transesterification was obtained based on the transesterification mechanism in the existence of alkaline catalyst and the simplified kinetic model of transesterification.The result showed that the kinetic equations of esterification and transesterification can describe their reaction processes very well respectively within the range of the experimental condition.