The use of renewable energy carriers in the mobility sector can happen by replacing fossil fuels. One option is biodiesel, which is obtained from vegetable oils. It is produced by adding methanol and potassium hydroxide (as catalyst) and is a transesterification, a chemical equilibrium reaction. On a large industrial scale, production is carried out continuously in stirred tank reactors. This process is demonstrated on a small scale by the experimental plant.
The chemical reaction takes place at temperatures of around 60°C. The products leave the reactor after a predefined dwell time. The products are a two-phase mixture: A biodiesel-rich phase and a phase with by-products. The by-products are pumped out of the following phase separator. The options for the biodiesel-rich phase are: Return to the reactor, second transesterification stage, methanol recovery (distillation) and biodiesel washing (absorption).
Learning Objectives and Experiments
- Production of biodiesel from vegetable oil
- Influence of dwell time
- Influence of temperature
- Chemical transesterification
- Phase separation in the gravity field
- Distillation
- Liquid-liquid extraction
- Approach of a continuous process consisting of several basic operations
Specification
- Chemical transesterification of vegetable oils
- Two-stage, continuous process
- Two heated stirred tank reactors for chemical transesterification
- Two phase separators for separating products and by-products
- Methanol recovery (distillation) to reduce the amount of methanol required
- Biodiesel washing (absorption) to extract impurities from the biodiesel
- Variation of process parameters to investigate the dependencies of biodiesel production
- PLC for controlling the experimental plant
- Touch panel for operating the PLC
Technical Data
- Tanks
- Stirred tank reactors: 2x 5L
- Storage tank (vegetable oil): 110L
- Storage tank (chemicals): 45L
- Product tank: 110L
- By-product tank: 45L
- Methanol tank: 6L
- Phase separator/biodiesel washer: 3x 15L
- Peristaltic pumps: max. 25L/h
Measuring Ranges
- Temperature: 6x 0…100°C
- Pressure: 1x 0…6bar (abs.)
- Flow rate: 11x 0…30L/h
Level:
- 3x 1…22cm
- 2x 1…29cm
- 230V, 50Hz, 1 phase
- 230V, 60Hz, 1 phase; 120V, 60Hz, 1 phase
