PRODUCTION OF BIODIESEL FROM HYDROSTERIFICATION REACTION

Abstract

Fatty acid esters (Biodiesel) are commonly produced by homogeneous basic catalytic transesterification reaction, whose sensitivity to the presence of water and free fatty acids (FFAs) in the raw material is one of the main drawbacks. The search for production processes that allow the use of vegetable oils with less added value is of interest to the biofuel industry. A promising alternative is hydroesterification, whose first stage is the hydrolysis of triacylglycerols, producing FFAs and glycerol products. Therefore, instead of decreasing acidity of the raw material through refining, the hydrolysis stage purposely increases its acidity. Then, glycerol is removed and the FFAs are subjected to an esterification reaction to produce fatty acid esters and water as a by-product. Therefore, this work presents a literature review, which has as main focus the production of biodiesel from hydroesterification. Alternative raw materials with potential in the current market are also presented. It was possible to verify that hydroesterification offers advantages when compared to conventional reactions. When carried out under conditions of high temperature and pressure, it can reduce the difficulties associated with the use of catalysts, becoming a promising alternative to be used as a method of biodiesel production.