Title : Monitoring of biolubricant production by different methods
Abstract:
The implementation of biorefineries is becoming a reality nowadays, due to the increasing environmental concern of society and institutions. Thus, there are countless ways to produce energy, biofuels or bioproducts from natural feedstocks, which could be integrated in a biorefinery process. The case of biodiesel or biolubricant production through transesterification from vegetable oils is a prime example of a starting point for the implementation of this kind of facilities. Thus, the optimization and the correct monitoring of the process are vital to contribute to the improvement of environmentally friendly industries. The aim of this research work was the assessment of different kinds of monitoring techniques (methanol collection, viscosity determination of the final mixture and methyl oleate or FAME content through gas chromatography) applied to the production of biolubricants from cardoon and safflower oil with two different superior alcohols. As a result, different advantages and disadvantages were found concerning each monitoring technique. Thus, viscosity and methyl oleate determination offered more advantages compared to the rest of techniques, especially concerning to their possible implementation in a large-scale facility and their immediacy of results. Also, the nature of the superior alcohol played an important role in the production of biolubricant, which should be taken into account in the implementation of biorefineries.
Audience take-away:
- Different monitoring methods are proposed for a specific case, like the biolubricant production from vegetable oils through transesterification.
- Main pros and cons are assessed for each method, according to our laboratory experience.
- The audience will learn about the need of using easy and sustainable methods to monitor complex processes.
