engleski

Biodiesel purification in a microseparator: deep eutectic solvents vs water

Once biodiesel is produced it could be used in internal combustion engines if fulfil the quality parameters prescribed by the American standard ASTM D 6751 and the European standard EN 14214. The purity of biodiesel is achieved through the purification process that involves the removal of excess alcohol (methanol), unreacted triglycerides, glycerol and catalyst and the resulting soap the share of which in biodiesel depends on the raw material from which biodiesel is produced and on the used catalyst. The conventional purification methods include water washing of biodiesel (also known as wet washing), dry washing and membrane separation. However, water rinsing generates large quantities of wastewater that must be properly disposed and represents a great economic and environmental burden1. In addition, it results in a loss of biodiesel during the washing phase. Recently, among those “alternative” methods, deep eutectic solvents (DES) have gained a lot of attention among researchers because they resemble various unique characteristics such as low volatility, non-flammability and non- toxicity. Another big advantage is that a large diversity of them can be prepared easily using affordable raw materials2. When talking about biodiesel purification, it has been shown that a DES synthesized using choline chloride salt and ethylene glycol was able to efficiently remove all free glycerol from biodiesel3-5.In this study application of microseparator for biodiesel purification was explored using choline chloride ethylene glycol and water as a purification medium. A system with continuous recirculation of water or DES was proposed.

biodiesel, glycerol, microseparator, DES, water

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