Scale-up of a Continuous Microwave-Assisted Transesterification Process of Soybean Oil for Biodiesel Production

Microwave-assisted transesterification of vegetable oil is emerging as an alternative process for the production of biodiesel. Microwave energy offers a number of advantages over conventional heating methods, including faster reaction rates, reduced processing times, and reduced catalyst consumption. This article describes the result of a pilot-scale continuous microwave-assisted transesterification process in focusing cavities with an analysis of the effect of temperature and time on the transesterification reaction for soybean oil. Experiments were performed in a continuous pilot-scale microwave reactor at temperatures of 60[degrees]C and 75[degrees]C and total processing times ranging from 1 to 16 min. Ethanol was used as a solvent with NaOH as a catalyst (99% for all experimental conditions, compared to 84% in conventional methods, and the energy balance yielded a positive value for this process. The results of the scaled-up microwave heating process are encouraging for the development of an industrial-scale, continuous microwave system for production of biodiesel.