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Wet washing is the most common method for biodiesel purification, but higher water consumption, longer purification time, and high expenses bring limitations on the use of this process. One of the suitable methods to remove such limitations is to use new techniques for purification. In this study, biodiesel purification was evaluated in a novel continuous centrifugal contactor separator (CCCS) at 0.5:1, 1:1, and 1.5:1 (V/V%)water to biodiesel ratio; 10 Hz, 20 Hz, and 30 Hz device working frequency; and 25 °C, 40 °C, and 55 °C temperatures. A mathematical model for the wet-washing process of biodiesel and energy consumption of the CCCS device using the response surface method is proposed. A 0.8:1 (V/V%) water to biodiesel ratio, 10 Hz working frequency, and 35 °C temperature were found to be the optimal conditions in the experiment. At this point, the biodiesel yield and the amount of energy consumption were reported to be 96% and 17 kJ, respectively. The results showed that compared to the traditional wet washing method, the biodiesel purification method using CCCS is cost-effective and consumes more than 75% less of water.

Concerning the growing need for energy resources and reduction of fossil fuels, researchers seek for the use and development of biofuels. Among the biofuels, biodiesel has captured the attention of...

Given the energy crisis, fossil fuel reserves crisis, climate mitigation, and energy efficiency increase, scientists have embarked on producing alternative fuels such as the biodiesel. This study w...

Biodiesel is a green renewable energy source and an alternative for diesel fuel. The objective of this research was to study the feasibility of biodiesel production from Celtis australis L. oil usi...

The Iranian energy sector has recently discovered a great interest in the concept of renewable and clean energy. The interest is motivated primarily by concerns about greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global climate change, as well as the desire to find alternative and sustainable energy sources and create potential job opportunities related to these new technologies for future generations of Iranians. This study supports the search for alternative, sustainable energy sources by assessing okra's usability as a biofuel. Okra is an annual, warm season crop that provides a rich source of industrial oil and protein. According to our investigation, the seeds of Iranian okra ecotypes that have an oil content of 20% could produce up to 325 kg/ha oil yield. Our study on Iranian okra seed oil showed that, the most dominant fatty acids of are linoleic acid (C18:2) (38–40%), Palmitic acid (C16:0) (29–30%), and Oleic acid (C18:1) (19–22%). The biodiesel derived from okra via a transesterification reaction using an ultrasonic system could meet ASTM D6751 standards with satisfactory results in methyl ester content (more than 96%), viscosity (2.3–2.4 mm−2/S, and flash point (155–158 °C)). Because of its high oil yield, quality, and large ecological adaptation window, okra is a strong contender to provide a new source of non-edible oil for biodiesel production in bioenergy farms.

The issue of searching alternatives for diesel fuel in transport sector that is one of the largest diesel fuel consuming sectors in each country has become more attractive nowadays. In this study, the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of biodiesel production from rapeseed as an alternative for diesel fuel in transport sector was assessed in terms of three main stages including agricultural crop production, transport, and industrial conversion. The results revealed that the total fossil energy input cost was calculated as 28 122.16 MJ ha−1 and the renewable energy output content (biodiesel as the final outcome) was estimated as 31 802.06 MJ ha−1. The net energy returns and the fossil energy ratio were calculated as 3679.9 MJ ha−1 and 1.13, respectively. It shows rapeseed could be a suitable energy crop for biodiesel production. CO2 emissions assessment showed that the total greenhouse gas emissions over biodiesel production life cycle were 1054.98 kg CO2 eq ha−1 and the agricultural crop production stage ranks the first. In order to establish energy crops cultivation such as rapeseed and achieve the sustainable development, meteorological and water source availability data collected and analyzed for all the 31 provinces in Iran to generate a map of regions capable of rapeseed cultivation. The results revealed that 24 provinces among 31 provinces have a great potential for rapeseed cultivation.