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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
This study uses the process simulator ASPEN Plus and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare three
process design alternatives for biodiesel production from waste vegetable oils that are: the conventional
alkali-catalyzed process including a free fatty acids (FFAs) pre-treatment, the acid-catalyzed process, and
the supercritical methanol process using propane as co-solvent. Results show that the supercritical
methanol process using propane as co-solvent is the most environmentally favorable alternative. Its
smaller steam consumption in comparison with the other process design alternatives leads to a lower
contribution to the potential environmental impacts (PEI’s). The acid-catalyzed process generally shows
the highest PEI’s, in particular due to the high energy requirements associated with methanol recovery
operations.
Description
Keywords
Biodiesel Waste vegetable oil Process design Process simulation Life cycle assessment (LCA) Alkali-catalyzed process Acid-catalyzed process Supercritical methanol process
Citation
10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.04.014