Emerging Risks in the Biodiesel Production by Transesterification of Virgin and Renewable Oils

Biodiesel is a very attractive biofuel because of its environmental benefits. However, despite its status as a safe substance, the production process can be hazardous because methanol or other flammable reactants, such as sodium methylate, can leave plants vulnerable to fire and explosion if not properly engineered and operated. However, further issues are emerging for the increasing capacity of plants, which have driven up on-site volumes of highly hazardous chemicals. Furthermore, some catastrophic accidents have occurred in very recent years in the glycerine neutralization phase. In this paper, insights of risks within this fairly new industry are presented. Heterogeneous catalysis seems to be the promising step for safer biodiesel productions. © 2010 American Chemical Society.