Simulation and optimization of the biodiesel production process from waste cooking oil under different kinetic conditions

Due to excessive consumption of oil resources in developing countries, many efforts have been made to create a suitable alternative fuel for current energy and transportation systems, and biodiesel is one of the best choices. The first target in this study was the simulation of the biodiesel production process from waste cooking oils under different kinetic conditions in the estrification stage using ASPEN PLUS software and then the process was optimized. Due to the fact that the feed used in this process contains more than 1% by weight of fatty acids, the process has two successive steps. In the first and second stages the estrification and transestrification process are carried out, respectively. The goal of the optimization study was to achieve the maximum biodiesel and glycerol sales while the manufacturing cost was minimized. The optimal condition was achieved when the methanol to oil molar ratio of 3 was selected. Also, the temperature of the two reactors had a great influence on the optimality of the process, as both the biodiesel production and the energy consumption of the reactors were notably affected. The total manufacturing cost and profit for this process were calculated to be 16.24 and 12.93 million dollars per year, respectivly.