Process Flow Diagram of Biodiesel Synthesis

upercritical Transesterification from Seed Oil with Methanol to Biodiesel

Fresh streams of Jatropha curcas L. seed oil (stream 5) and methanol (stream 1) mix in the mixers
(BA101, BA102) with fresh liquid propane (stream 4) and the recycled stream (stream 23, 27, 29) of
methanol and propane. Then, the mixture (stream 8) is pumped to 12.8MPa and heated to 255 by
system heat integration and middle pressure steam (5.1MPa, 265). Then, the mixture (stream 11)
reaches the supercritical state and is fed into the reactor. The reaction is carried out in a tubular
reactor (CA101).Heat conducting oil flows in the shell side to keep the reaction temperature at
300 and the reaction lasts for 5 minutes so that the conversion rate comes to almost 100%. The
exit stream (stream 12) flows into a flash evaporator (BA103) after cooling. The gas (stream 21)
recycles while the liquid stream (stream 15) flows into a distillation column (KA101). The light
components come out from the top (stream 24), recycling; the bottom stream (stream 16), flows into
the settler unit (BA105) after cooling. Finally, biodiesel is obtained as the light phase (stream 19)
while the by-product glycerol is obtained as the heavy phase (stream 20).