Comparing Continuous and Batch Process Design Under Uncertainty for Biodiesel Production

Abstract:

The continuing depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the increasing environmental concerns has encouraged engineers and scientists to look for an alternative, clean and renewable fuel that can reduce the negative environmental impact. Biodiesel has been considered as one of the best candidate of one of these renewable fuels.  One of the pathways to biodiesel production is the transesterification reaction of triglycerides from vegetable oils and short-chain alcohols.  A batch reactor is employed for the production of biodiesel.   However, most of the other unit operations like decanters and distillation columns are operated continuously.  The success of biofuel introduction in economy depends on the economics of these fuels.  One of the factors which are problematic in this is the seasonal variation of feedstock, and transportation and storage costs of material for continuous processing.  In this work, we compare batch and continuous processing options for biodiesel production under feedstock variation.  These models will allow us to choose an optimal process configuration, depending on the size of the market, distance to market, and feedstock availability,

Key words: batch process, continuous process, biodiesel, stochastic simulation, economical analysis.