Economic Aspects of Biodiesel Production from Tannery Waste Fats

摘要

The present high price for biodiesel results from the high prices of it's main feedstock-soybean (USA) and canola oil (Europe). The potential profit from the utilization of low cost tannery fat wastes for biodiesel production depends on the processing costs of the pre-treatment technology; which includes their refining and esterification of free fatty acids. A suitable ratio of tetramethylammonium hydroxide, which is used as an alkali esterification agent of free fatty acids and simultaneously as a transesterification catalyst, enables making biodiesel production from tannery waste feedstock economically profitable. Optimization of the pre-treatment technology is presented using a proposed mathematical model. The final biodiesel properties can be improved by its production from the blends of the waste fats with waste oils.