Abstract
There are different technologies for biodiesel production, each having its benefits and drawbacks depending on the type of feedstock and catalyst used. In this study, the techno-economic performances of four catalyst technologies were investigated. The catalysts were bulk calcium oxide (CaO), enzyme, nano-calcium oxide, and ionic liquid. The study was mainly based on process simulations designed using Aspen Plus and SuperPro software. The quantity and quality of biodiesel and glycerol, as well as the amount of biodiesel per amount of feedstock, were the parameters to evaluate technical performances. The parameters for economic performances were total investment cost, unit production cost, net present value (NPV), internal return rate (IRR), and return over investment (ROI). Technically, all the studied options provided fuel quality biodiesel and high purity glycerol. However, under the assumed market scenario, the process using bulk CaO catalyst was more economically feasible and tolerable to the change in market values of major inputs and outputs. On the contrary, the enzyme catalyst option was very expensive and economically infeasible for all considered ranges of cost of feedstock and product. The result of this study could be used as a basis to do detail estimates for the practical implementation of the efficient process.
Highlights
According to the recent report from the World Energy Outlook 2018 [1], 93% of the world’s carbon capacity is already in use up to 2040
In terms of biodiesel product, technology option IV had the highest performance, with about 98.98 kg/h product variation from the least performing one. This was mainly owing to the high catalytic activity of the nano-calcium oxide (CaO) particles, which favors the high conversion of the oil into biodiesel within relatively short reaction time
It might be due to the negligible occurrence of the saponification reaction when zinc doped nano-CaO catalyst was used [48], which minimizes the likeliness of the catalyst being used by the free fatty acid (FFA) in the process of saponification
Summary
According to the recent report from the World Energy Outlook 2018 [1], 93% of the world’s carbon capacity is already in use up to 2040. There is a very narrow space for the development of fossil fuel projects over this period without contradicting international objectives about climate change. This implies that it is becoming inevitable to push on the development of alternative and renewable energy resources for the supply of reliable and environmentally efficient energy to the growing economic activities around the world. Among such alternative sources are biofuels [2], which are mainly preferred for their carbon neutral character, their renewability, as well as the fact that they can be produced in decentralized manners from abundant and versatile resources. The technical benefits are associated with its use for fuel; for example, Energies 2019, 12, 3916; doi:10.3390/en12203916 www.mdpi.com/journal/energies
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