Minimising Leachate Wastewater Generated from NaOH-Catalysed Biodiesel Synthesis from Methanol

Abstract

Currently, energy generation based on fossil fuels is producing negative environmental impacts; two of the main symptoms of these impacts are water pollution and climate change. Consequently, the search for new technologies to satisfy the energy demand must have the goal to minimise possible impacts to the environment. There are alternatives with biofuels and, among them, biodiesel. The cheapest reaction pathway for biodiesel production is the transesterification of triglycerides by methanol in the presence of sodium hydroxide; however, this option can contaminate large volumes of water used in the final leach of the biodiesel product. Therefore, a feasible way of producing this biofuel while simultaneously minimising leaching water will be environmentally friendly and will improve economical savings. The present study developed an experimental design in order to minimise the addition of NaOH during biodiesel production by the basic homogeneous pathway. The best operating conditions were 46 °C, methanol in situ 7.5% v/v and NaOH 0.035 M. These conditions allowed to reduce the leaching water amount by 25% compared to techniques reported in the literature; however, the yield to biodiesel decreased from 98 wt.% to 87 wt.% when a model waste oil was used instead of virgin oil.