Operations variables in the transesterification process of vegetable oil: a review - chemical catalysis

This article describes the results of a bibliographic review of the effects of operation conditions on process yield in the chemical transesterification of vegetable oil. The parameters studied were: temperature and time reaction, alcohol: oil molar ratio, catalyst and alcohol type, catalyst concentration, mixed intensity and free fatty acid and water concentration. It also reports that this process has been carried out with basic and acid catalysts using homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic processes for a wide variety of oils. It was found that reaction yield increased when temperature and time reaction increased; however this parameter decreased at low catalyst concentration (<0.5 % w/w) and high free fatty acid (> 1% w/w) and water (> 3% w/w) concentration in oil.