Fabrication of novel microreactors in-house and their performance analysis via continuous production of biodiesel

•Different novel microreactors with different designs and geometries were fabricated in-house: T-shaped Y-shaped, and Tesla-shaped microreactors.•Comprehensive analysis of the performances of the fabricated microreactors for the containuous production of biodiesel were performed .•A high level of volume biodiesel yield was achieved from the fabricated microreactors in short residence times, compared to several studies in literature.•The highest biodiesel yield was found to be 97.9% with the Tesla-shaped microreactor at a residence time of 4.85s only. It was found to be 93.3% with the T-shaped microreactor and 94.3% with the Y- shaped microreactors at a residence time of 3.28s each.•Precise inline monitoring of microchannel using optical imaging showed percentage mixings of 97.6%, 97.87%, and 99.52% with T-, Y-, and Tesla- shaped microreactors, respectively. Microreactors enhance biodiesel yields due to their more efficient mixing mechanisms and faster mass transfer rates than conventional batch processes. In this investigation, microreactors with different designs and geometries (four T-shaped with different lengths, one Y-shaped, and one Tesla-shaped) have been successfully fabricated at Fab Lab Bahrain using a high-resolution CO2 laser cutting machine. Then, the performances of these microreactors for the continuous production of biodiesel were tested and compared. The transesterification of the 9:1 molar ratio of methanol to oil was operated at a temperature of 60°C, with a 1.0 wt% NaOH catalyst. The performance of each microreactor for biodiesel synthesis was experimentally studied. The highest biodiesel yield was found to be 97.9%, with the Tesla-shaped microreactor at a residence time of only 4.85s, while the T- and Y- shaped microreactors give the highest percentage yield of 93.3% and 94.3%, respectively, with a residence time of 3.28s each. Online monitoring of the microchannel using optical imaging showed a mixing percentage of 97.6%, 97.87%, and 99.52% with T-, Y-, and Tesla- shaped microreactors, respectively, which consolidates the mixing effect's on developing the percentage yield of biodiesel. [Display omitted]