World energy demand is expected to increase due to the expanding urbanization, better living standards and increasing population. At a time when society is becoming increasingly aware of the declining reserves of fossil fuels beside the environmental concerns, it has become apparent that biodiesel is destined to make a substantial contribution to the future energy demands of the domestic and industrial economies. There are different potential feedstocks for biodiesel production. Non-edible vegetable oils which are known as the second generation feedstocks can be considered as promising substitutions for traditional edible food crops for the production of biodiesel. The use of non-edible plant oils is very significant because of the tremendous demand for edible oils as food source. Moreover, edible oils’ feedstock costs are far expensive to be used as fuel. Therefore, production of biodiesel from non-edible oils is an effective way to overcome all the associated problems with edible oils. However, the potential of converting non-edible oil into biodiesel must be well examined. This is because physical and chemical properties of biodiesel produced from any feedstock must comply with the limits of ASTM and DIN EN specifications for biodiesel fuels. This paper introduces non-edible vegetable oils to be used as biodiesel feedstocks. Several aspects related to these feedstocks have been reviewed from various recent publications. These aspects include overview of non-edible oil resources, advantages of non-edible oils, problems in exploitation of non-edible oils, fatty acid composition profiles (FAC) of various non-edible oils, oil extraction techniques, technologies of biodiesel production from non-edible oils, biodiesel standards and characterization, properties and characteristic of non-edible biodiesel and engine performance and emission production. As a conclusion, it has been found that there is a huge chance to produce biodiesel from non-edible oil sources and therefore it can boost the future production of biodiesel.

Non-edible vegetable oils: A critical evaluation of oil extraction, fatty acid compositions, biodiesel production, characteristics, engine performance and emissions production

This article reviews various technologies that have been used for biodiesel production till date, with a view to comparing commercial suitability of these methods on the basis of available feedstocks and associated challenges. This review shows that while emphasis is on the use of micro alga oil sources, the viability of the economics of the process is still in doubt. Homogenously catalyzed processes are the conventional technologies. However, their large-scale applicability is compromised due to their characteristic challenges. Batch processes and continuous processes are used for industrial purposes with typical capacity of 7.26-7.5 Gg y(-1) and 8-125 Gg y(-1) respectively, and heterogeneous catalysis may be sustainable for the continuous processes. Heterogeneous catalysts from renewable sources may be both environmentally and economically viable. Reactive distillation has the major advantage of combining the reaction and separation stages in a single unit, thereby significantly reducing capital costs and increasing opportunities for heat integration. This paper is a comprehensive overview of current technologies and appropriate options for scale-up development, providing the basis for a proposal for the exploitation of heterogeneous catalysts from natural sources to optimize biodiesel production. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

http://digitalknowledge.cput.ac.za/bitstream/11189/3866/3/Aransiola_EF_Ojumu_TV_Oyekola_OO_Madzimbamuto_TV_Ikho-Omoregbe_DIO_Eng_2013.pdf

A review of current technology for biodiesel production: State of the art

Current biodiesel production technologies: A comparative review

Glycerol is a valuable byproduct in biodiesel production by transesterification, soap manufacturing by saponification as well as hydrolysis reaction. The purity of glycerol obtained is low due to the presence of impurities such as remaining catalyst, water, soaps, salts and esters formed during the reaction. Purification of glycerol as well as the conversion of glycerol into valuable products has attained growing interest in recent years due to the dramatic growth of the biodiesel industry. This paper reviews different methods of producing crude glycerol as the major by-product. Purification of glycerol was reported as well as value-added products produced from glycerol.

Glycerol production and its applications as a raw material: A review

Because of biodegradability and nontoxicity biodiesel has become more attractive as alternative fuel. Biodiesel is produced mainly from vegetable oils by transesterification of triacylglycerols. From economic and social reasons, edible oils should be replaced by lower-cost and reliable feedstocks for biodiesel production such as non-edible plant oils. This paper reviews various methods for biodiesel production from common non-edible oils employing alcoholysis reactions. The aim of this paper is to present the possibilities of the use of non-edible oils into biodiesel production, to consider the various methods for treatment of non-edible oils and to emphasize the influence of the operating and reaction conditions on the process rate and the ester yield. The special attention is paid to the possibilities of optimization, kinetics and improvement of biodiesel production from non-edible oils.

Biodiesel production from non-edible plant oils

The demand for petroleum has risen rapidly due to increasing industrialization and modernization of the world. This economic development has led to a huge demand for energy, where the major part of that energy is derived from fossil sources such as petroleum, coal and natural gas. However, the limited reserve of fossil fuel has drawn the attention of many researchers to look for alternative fuels which can be produced from renewable feedstock. Biodiesel has become more attractive because of its environmental benefits and it is obtained from renewable resources. There are four primary methods to make biodiesel: blending, microemulsion, pyrolysis and transesterification. The most commonly used method is the transesterification of triglycerides (vegetable oil and animal fats) with alcohol in the presence of a catalyst. There is a growing interest in using Jatropha curcas L. oil as the feedstock for biodiesel production because it is non-edible and thus does not compromise the edible oils, which are mainly used for food consumption. Non-edible oils are not suitable for human consumption because of the presence of toxic components. Further, J. curcas L. seed has a high content of oil and the biodiesel produced has similar properties to that of petroleum-based diesel. In this paper, an attempt has been made to review the different approaches and techniques used to generate biodiesel from Jatropha curcas oil. The main factors affecting the biodiesel yield, for example the molar ratio of alcohol to oil, catalyst concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time are discussed. Lastly, the environmental considerations and economic aspects of biodiesel are also addressed.

/pdf/a-review-of-biodiesel-production-from-jatropha-curcas-l-oil-198dc8kg92.pdf

A review of biodiesel production from Jatropha curcas L. oil

Synthesis of palm based biolubricant in an oscillatory flow reactor (OFR)

/pdf/proof-of-concept-laboratory-scale-production-of-sand-like-3jxekf6i.pdf

May Ying Koh

Papers

A review of biodiesel production from Jatropha curcas L. oil

Synthesis of palm based biolubricant in an oscillatory flow reactor (OFR)

Proof-of-Concept Laboratory-Scale Production of ‘Sand-like’ Material using Clayey Soil