SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING BIODIESEL FROM VEGETABLE OILS THROUGH SOLAR ENERGY FOR THE TRANSESTERIFICATION PROCESS.

摘要

The present disclosure is related to a system for producing biodiesel from vegetable oil, which is made up of: A support structure housing the elements of the system; a methoxide preparation tank containing a catalyst agent, preferably potassium hydroxide, which is mixed with methanol and thereby forming the methoxide; this mixture is in fluid communication with a transesterification reactor containing vegetable oil which may be commercial, obtained from some plants like the Ricinus or the Jatropha, or oil already processed from fried foods; a settling/washing tank in which biodiesel is separated from the glycerin that was formed in the process and soap remnants resulting from saponification, as well as impurities and wash water, derived from the purification process; the biodiesel production system has in turn, a temporary storage tank where samples of the processed biodiesel will be taken to perform the different tests and analysis and which will serve as a temporary storage tank, m eanwhile is released for final storage or use. The system has a centrifugal pump that will circulate the biodiesel obtained in the transesterification reactor to the settling/washing tank. A preferred modality is to obtain the energy required for the transesterification process by a photovoltaic system. Unlike the existing systems in the market for the production of biodiesel, the proposed system has a Methoxide deposit, a transesterification reactor which uses solar energy to reach the temperature to perform the process, moving mechanical stirring systems, a settling/washing tank that can be used for purification.