Development of a Biodiesel Production Process in a Membrane Reactor
Biodiesel. Membrane reactor. Model
The concern with global warming has turned necessary the development of viable alternatives to fossil fuels. So, the development of renewable fuels, also known as biofuels, has gained importance. Among the existent biofuels, biodiesel can be highlighted. Biodiesel is a chemical compound formed by esters, which can be methyl or ethyl. Due to their physical and chemical properties, they can be used as a substitute to diesel of fossil source in Diesel cycle motors. Nowadays, the biodiesel production in industrial scale is made, mainly, in batch or continuous stirred tank reactors, which present several dificulties and limitations in productivity and conversion, besides the need for various posterior separation steps. Much effort is being done to develop novel processes that unite reaction and separation steps in one. As result, the membranes emerge as an alternative with great potential of application in the production of biodiesel as a reaction media. Membranes can be defined as selective, partially permeable mediums and are vastly used in many separation processes. In this context, the present work has the aim to develop a continuous process for the production of biodiesel using a membrane reactor from soybean oil, in addition to propose a mathematical model which describes the process in question, from mass and energy balances.