Enhancing biodiesel production in stirred tank reactors through the implementation of a baffle array: Creating a reactor with unique characteristics

Abstract

This study focuses on enhancing biodiesel production from expired refined palm oil by implementing baffle arrays with a suitable dimension ratio into a conventional stirred tank reactor. This reactor functions as a deglycerolizing reactor at low agitation speeds (250 rpm), or an intensive mixing at high agitation speeds (500 rpm). With these unique characteristics, this reactor outperformed its traditional counterparts and could produce biodiesel via a simplified, single-step transesterification process. The optimal reaction condition was 1:6 oil to MeOH ratio, 1.0 wt% KOCH3, 30-minute reaction time and 60 °C reaction temperature. Ester content of 98.13 wt% was obtained in the deglycerolizing reactor and 98.54 wt% in the intensive mixing reactor with the number of baffles of 16. This achievement represents a 50 % reaction time reduction and 30 % reactor cost reduction compared to the conventional reactor with similar reaction condition and production capability.