New technology for the production of biodiesel fuel

A new, homogeneous method for producing biodiesel fuel (BDF), achieving a minimum emission of waste and a low consumption of energy, was developed by adding organic solvents such as acetone to a reaction mixture of oil and methanol with an alkaline catalyst. By adding acetone and a smaller amount of catalyst at room temperature, fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) was formed within 5 min with a quality satisfying the international BDF standards, even in the coexistent of water in the raw material. The difference in the kinetic data when using isopropyl alcohol (IPA) (all compounds are in a single phase) and acetone (all compounds except glycerin are in a single phase), shows that the retardation of FAME formation in the presence of glycerin product is not due to the reverse reaction but to the removal of methanol and KOH catalyst from the reaction phase by the precipitated glycerin produced during the final stages of the reaction.