Search Results (7)

Increasing environmental pollution is driving an increase in the production and use of biofuels. The cost price of biodiesel could be reduced by using low-quality oilseeds unfit for human consumption and by applying the simultaneous oil extraction and transesterification process, avoiding the oil pressure stage. The purpose of this study was to investigate the enzymatic biofuel production process (in situ) by using rapeseed with high oil acidity for simultaneous oil extraction and transesterification with a mixture of butanol and mineral diesel fuel. The investigation of the in situ process was performed using a mixture of butanol and mineral diesel and the most effective biocatalyst Lipozyme TL IM was selected. The novelty of this paper consists of the fact that mineral diesel was used as the oil extractant, and the amount chosen was such that, at the end, a mixture of fuel with a ratio 9:1 of mineral diesel to biodiesel was be produced. The experiments were carried out using ground rapeseeds under laboratory conditions. The efficiency of oil extraction was investigated by the FTIR spectrometry method, and the efficiency of transesterification was determined by the gas chromatography method. It was found that the optimal reaction duration was 7 h, reaction temperature was 40 °C, and lipase content was 6% (from the oil content in rapeseed). An oil extraction efficiency of 99.92 ± 0.04 (w/w) was observed at these conditions. A transesterification degree of 99.08 ± 0.08% (w/w) met with the requirements of the standards for biodiesel fuel. The physical and chemical properties of the produced fuel mixture met the requirements of the standards for mineral diesel and biodiesel; therefore, it can be used in diesel engines. Full article

This article provides data on the environmental properties of biofuels obtained by the simultaneous extraction of oil from spoiled rapeseed and transesterification, with the addition of mineral diesel to the reaction mixture. The resulting reaction product contained 10% biodiesel: fatty acid methyl, ethyl, or butyl esters in mixtures with mineral diesel. The addition of biodiesel has been found to increase the rate of biodegradation of fuels. Such fuels are classified as partially biodegradable, according to the OECD classification. Life cycle analysis showed that the mixtures of biodiesel and mineral diesel have lower negative environmental impacts, compared to pure mineral diesel. The values of indicators such as abiotic depletion, acidification, global warming, ozone depletion, and human toxicity for these mixtures were 40–58% lower compared to the corresponding values for mineral diesel. Full article

In this research, optimization of the integrated biodiesel production process composed of transesterification of edible sunflower oil, catalyzed by commercial lipase, with simultaneous extraction of glycerol from the reaction mixture was performed. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were used in this integrated process as the reaction and extraction media. For two systems, choline chloride:glycerol (ChCl:Gly) and choline chloride:ethylene glycol (ChCl:EG), respectively, the optimal water content, mass ratio of the phase containing the mixture of reactants (oil and methanol) with an enzyme and a DES phase (mass ratio of phases), and the molar ratio of deep eutectic solvent constituents were determined using response surface methodology (RSM). Experiments performed with ChCl:Gly resulted in a higher biodiesel yield and higher glycerol extraction efficiency, namely, a mass ratio of phases of 1:1, a mass fraction of water of 6.6%, and a molar ratio of the ChCl:Gly of 1:3.5 were determined to be the optimal process conditions. When the reaction was performed in a batch reactor under the optimal conditions, the process resulted in a 43.54 ± 0.2% yield and 99.54 ± 0.19% glycerol extraction efficiency (t = 2 h). Unfortunately, the free glycerol content was higher than the one defined by international standards (w_G > 0.02%); therefore, the process was performed in a microsystem to enhance the mass transfer. Gaining the same yield and free glycerol content below the standards (w_G = 0.0019 ± 0.003%), the microsystem proved to be a good direction for future process optimization. Full article

Rapeseed oil of high acidity, an agricultural industry by-product unsuitable for food, was used as an inexpensive raw material for the production of biodiesel fuel. The use of rapeseed oil that is unsuitable for food and lipase as a catalyst makes the biodiesel production process environmentally friendly. Simultaneous oil extraction and in situ transesterification using diesel as an extraction solvent was investigated to obtain a diesel-biodiesel blend. The diesel and rapeseed oil blend ratio was 9:1 (w/w). The enzymatic production of biodiesel from rapeseed oil with high acidity and methanol using eleven different lipases as biocatalysts was studied. The most effective biocatalyst, lipase—Lipozyme TL IM (Thermomyces lanuginosus), which is suitable for in situ transesterification—was selected, and the conversion of rapeseed oil into fatty acid methyl ester was evaluated. The influence of the amount of methanol and lipase, the reaction temperature and the reaction time were investigated to achieve the highest degree of transesterification. The optimal reaction conditions, when the methanol to oil molar ratio was 5:1, were found to be a reaction time of 5 h, a reaction temperature of 25 °C and a lipase (Lipozyme TL IM) concentration of 5% (based on oil weight). Under these optimal conditions, 99.90% (w/w) of the rapeseed oil was extracted from the seed and transesterified. The degree of transesterification obtained was 98.76% (w/w). Additionally, the glyceride content in the biodiesel fuel was investigated and met the requirements perfectly. Full article

In this study, low-quality rapeseed was used as a raw material for biodiesel fuel production. The application of such seeds with an enzyme catalyst is a green approach to producing renewable biodiesel fuel. During the in situ transesterification process, mineral diesel was selected as an extraction solvent for the simultaneous extraction and transesterification of rapeseed oil (RO). This allowed, at the end of the process, for the production of a mixture of mineral diesel and biodiesel fuel. Energy is saved using this process, as the need to extract the oil separately is eliminated and extraction and transesterification take place together in the in situ process. In this study, 11 different lipases were analyzed from which to select the most effective biocatalyst according to the chosen experimental conditions. The most suitable lipase for in situ transesterification was Lipozyme TL IM (Thermomyces lanuginosus). The impact of the temperature and duration of the reaction was investigated along with the concentration of the lipase. A ethanol-to-oil molar ratio of 5:1 was chosen. The optimal reaction conditions were as follows: a reaction duration of 7 h, a reaction temperature of 30 °C and a lipase concentration of 5% (based on oil weight). Under these conditions, 99.92% of oil was extracted from the rapeseed. The degree of oil transesterification acquired was 99.89%. A mineral diesel and rapeseed oil ethyl ester blend of 9:1 (w/w) was produced. Full article

Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are leading to increased production and use of biofuels. The industrial development of biodiesel production and the use of biodiesel in the EU transport sector have been ongoing for almost two decades. Compared to mineral diesel production, the process of producing biodiesel is quite complex and expensive, and the search for new raw materials and advanced technologies is needed to maintain production value and expand the industrial production of biodiesel. The purpose of this article is to review the application possibilities of one of the new technologies—simultaneous extraction of oil from oily feedstock and transesterification (in situ)—and to evaluate the effectiveness of the abovementioned process under various conditions. Full article

The purpose of this work is to investigate the influence of n-hexane addition on in situ transesterification of a solid raw material for biodiesel production. Extraction and reaction of macroalgae oil has been performed simultaneously in a batch reactor adding n-hexane with the reactants. In order to analyze the influence of n-hexane on the transesterification, the reaction was also carried out with sunflower oil. The results show that the presence of n-hexane does not have an important effect on the transesterification. It was also observed that this method requires large quantities of methanol to carry out the reaction. The best reaction conditions for in situ transesterification of marine macroalgae were 300:1 methanol-to-oil molar ratio, 1% catalyst concentration, 60 °C reaction temperature and 11 h reaction time, resulting in a methyl esters yield of 17.1%. Thus, biodiesel production from macroalgae by transesterification in situ could be feasible, using hexane for the extraction and eliminating the previous extraction. This integrated method is thus effective and technically attractive. Full article