Response surface methodology for continuous biodiesel production from Jatropha curcas oil using Li/pumice as catalyst in a packed-bed reactor assisted with diethyl ether as cosolvent

Abstract

A packed-bed catalytic configuration reactor using pumice granules loaded with lithium (Li/Pumice) as a heterogeneous catalyst was developed for biodiesel production in continuous. For this purpose, Jatropha curcas oil was used as an alternative feedstock to edible oils and diethyl ether was used as a cosolvent to eliminate the limitations of mass transfer between the phases. In this work, the response surface methodology was applied to optimize the fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) yield in biodiesel production. The flow rate (0.7–1.4 mL min−1), the methanol/oil molar ratio (6:1–20:1) and the cosolvent/methanol molar ratio (0.5:1–1.5:1) were the independent variables studied. The effects of these factors over the FAME yield using Li/Pumice as catalyst were evaluated according to a Box-Behnken design. The optimum conditions for the maximum FAME yield (100%) were 1.4 mL min−1, 20.0 methanol/oil molar ratio and 0.57:1 cosolvent/methanol molar ratio.