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Optimization of a Novel Two-step Process Comprising Re-esterification and Transesterification in a Single Reactor for Biodiesel Production Using Waste Cooking Oil

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Abstract

Waste cooking oil (WCO) has attracted attention as a non-edible feedstock for biodiesel. Although an alkali catalyst has several advantages over an acid catalyst in biodiesel production, biodiesel conversion from WCO is only 5.2% when using an alkali catalyst (NaOH), owing to its high free fatty acid (FFA) content of 4.2%. In this study, a novel two-step process in a single reactor, comprised of re-esterification of the FFAs with crude glycerol, using a Tin (II) chloride (SnCl2) catalyst, and subsequent transesterification with methanol, using an alkali catalyst, was adopted, and each step was optimized. This study revealed that the FFA content after re-esterification should be approximately 1.5%, not only to save glycerol and the catalyst involved in the re-esterification, but also to achieve high biodiesel conversion during the transesterification. An alkaline catalyst was successfully used to produce biodiesel in the second step, and a 92.8% conversion to biodiesel was achieved under the optimized conditions (0.6% catalyst relative to WCO, 0.2mL-methanol/WCO, 70ºC, 3 h). Overall, this novel two-step process achieved highly enhanced biodiesel conversion (4.0% to 92.8%) with significantly reduced reaction time (12 h to 4 h) and methanol requirements (15 mL/g-WCO to 0.2 mL/g-WCO).

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Acknowledgement

This study was supported by Gangneung-Wonju National University and we greatly appreciates this support. The authors also would like to thank Purdue University for allowing us to use its research facilities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemical Engineering, Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung, 25457, Korea

    Sung Ho Yeom & Young Wook Go

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  1. Sung Ho Yeom
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  2. Young Wook Go
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Correspondence to Sung Ho Yeom.

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Yeom, S.H., Go, Y.W. Optimization of a Novel Two-step Process Comprising Re-esterification and Transesterification in a Single Reactor for Biodiesel Production Using Waste Cooking Oil. Biotechnol Bioproc E 23, 432–441 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-018-0209-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12257-018-0209-5

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