A review of catalyst and multifunctional reactor development for sustainable biodiesel production

Abstract

Biodiesel is an alternative green fuel commonly used worldwide. The biodiesel production process consists mainly of production and purification steps. In the production step, there are two main reactions, transesterification and esterification, that require novel catalysts to achieve high yield in a short processing time; however, the immiscibility of the reactants limits the mass transfer and consequently the reaction rate. This article reviews the development of various catalysts: acid, base, and bifunctional catalysts, for transesterification and esterification. In addition, some interesting multifunctional reactors to improve biodiesel production are briefly discussed. A functionalized acid/base catalyst on a metal oxide support is a potential catalyst for transesterification/esterification. Moreover, an ultrasound-assisted reactor is a promising multifunctional reactor to be used in batch or continuous operation for biodiesel production with both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts.

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