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Scale-up of Biodiesel Synthesis in Chemical Interesterification Reaction of Rapeseed Oil with Methyl Formate and Methyl Acetate

- Production and use of biofuels is important to minimize carbon dioxide emissions in the world. One of biofuels – biodiesel – is obtained from vegetable oils in form of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). Industrially production of biodiesel proceeds by transesterification with methanol and production of by-product glycerol. In order to exclude the glycerol production, we have researched biodiesel synthesis in potassium tert -butoxide catalyzed chemical interesterification reaction with methyl formate and methyl acetate. In order to ensure the scale-up of 50-times the synthesis has been made using flasks from 100 mL volume to 4 L batch reactor. Scale-up process of biofuel synthesis shows that it proceeds without considerable differences in synthesis procedure and composition of products, but the excess reagent evaporation step is more efficient for smaller volumes. Reactions with methyl acetate allow to make full conversion of oil to biofuel, however the FAME content is only 72%, following conditions were used: temperature 55 ºC, 60 minutes, methyl acetate to oil molar ratio 30, catalyst 1M t BuOK in THF, and catalyst to oil molar ratio 0.10. Reactions with methyl formate allow to obtain biofuel with lower yield but containing 93% of FAME, following conditions were used: temperature 30 ºC, 45 minutes, methyl formate to oil molar ratio 36, catalyst 1M t BuOK in t BuOH, and catalyst to oil molar ratio 0.15. Fuel properties were tested for both biofuels obtained in 4 L reactor. Biofuel obtained in reaction with methyl formate showed better properties, although both fuels could be used as diesel fuel additives. The area of using the methyl formate biofuel would be wider, therefore we propose that methyl formate is more promising reagent for synthesis of biodiesel. Obtained different glycerol formates could be a valuable by-product.