Development of an Aspen Plus model for catalytic transesterification with
different reactor arrangements and kinetic mechanisms
#MMPMID41384071
De S
; Thokchom AK
; Kumar R
RSC Adv
2025[Dec]; 15
(57
): 49197-49209
PMID41384071
show ga
The era of dependence on fossil fuels will come to an end in a few decades, with
a rising demand for alternative energy resources like biofuels. Major challenges
in the preservation of the environment and ecosystem, i.e., air pollution, waste
disposal, greenhouse effect, and climate change, are brought by fossil fuels
only. Therefore, mankind must rebuild and upgrade its energy sector by
introducing biofuels, which will not only reduce the carbon footprint but also
meet the energy demands of future civilization. Biodiesel, composed of Fatty Acid
Methyl Esters (FAME), is a renewable fuel and possesses almost similar fuel
properties to petroleum. It is more biodegradable, less toxic, and follows an
eco-friendly process of production. The most attractive option to choose for its
production is the heterogeneous catalytic transesterification process. In the
present study, different kinetic models are developed for the transesterification
process with triolein as feed using the Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson (LHHW)
mechanism or power law kinetics using Aspen Plus V12.1. The process layout in
Aspen Plus is built on reasonable assumptions, kinetic parameters, and optimum
conditions taken from relevant literature. The optimum conversion of 96.4% is
achieved in simulation with the same optimum conditions as defined in the
original experimental work. Five different Aspen models have been developed with
varying configurations and reaction kinetics. A comparative study of all the
models reveals that Model 1, with LHHW kinetics, is more efficient than the other
two models in terms of conversion efficiency, product purity, and percentage
recovery.
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