1. CHEE 323Design Exercise 1 Biodiesel Production Transesterification of natural oils yields lower molecular weight esters of appropriate viscosity for fuel applications.  Triglyceride transesterification with methanol can be acid or base catalyzed.  Free fatty acids within some feedstocks can only be esterified under acidic conditions. »Carboxylate salts create foaming problems, and adversely affect product viscosities

2. CHEE 323Design Exercise 1 Biodiesel Production The Biox plant in Hamilton, Ontario has a nameplate capacity of 67 million litres per year for converting a wide range of feedstocks into clear, acid-free biodiesel.

3. CHEE 323Design Exercise 1 Biodiesel Production Patented U of T process uses THF to yield a miscible, homogeneous catalytic process. FFA’s in the feedstock are esterified under acidic conditions, then the whole mixture is transesterified under more efficient base catalysis. Equilibrium is driven by excess methanol, and the phase-separation of glycerol from the reaction mixture

4. CHEE 323Design Exercise 1 Acid-catalyzed fatty acid esterification: Design Exercise 1 Derive rate equations from this mechanism that express the rate of reagent consumption and product(s) formation as a function of measurable process variables.  Include expressions for the instantaneous concentration of intermediates as a function of measurable process variables.

5. CHEE 323Design Exercise 1 Acid-catalyzed fatty acid esterification: Design Exercise 1 Derive rate equations from this mechanism that express the rate of reagent consumption and product(s) formation as a function of measurable process variables.  Include expressions for the instantaneous concentration of intermediates as a function of measurable process variables.