Biodiesel is made from plant sources and can be created naturally but takes a long time. Biodiesel reactors use transesterification to create glycerin and methyl esters, which is further refined to create biofuels. Ultrasonic reactors are used for large quantities and require less work, while shear reactors are more versatile but require more work.
Biodiesel is a substance very similar to petroleum-based diesel, except that it is made from plant sources such as microalgae and coconuts instead of petroleum. While biodiesel can occur naturally under specific circumstances, these circumstances are rare and can take years. A biodiesel reactor reduces the amount of time and makes the process semi-automated or fully automated so that commercial quantities of biodiesel can be created. There are two main types of biodiesel reactors: shear and ultrasonic. Both work on biodiesel in different ways, but both lead to the creation of large quantities of biodiesel with little work on the part of the reactor operator.
All biodiesel starts as a vegetable feedstock. Some raw materials include microalgae, coconuts, and used or virgin vegetable oils. A biodiesel reactor then works on the feedstock to cause a chemical reaction called transesterification. In this process, the raw material is separated into two substances: glycerine and methyl esters.
Glycerin is a byproduct of the process and is a sweet alcohol. After manufacturing, the glycerin is normally used by other industries to make moisturizers or soaps, so the glycerin is not wasted or thrown away. The other substance, methyl ester, is the chemical name for biodiesel. In this stage the biodiesel is further refined to create other biofuels, blended with petroleum diesel to create a diesel blend that offers sustainability and low temperature usability, or is used immediately without the blending or additional processing.
An ultrasonic biodiesel reactor uses ultrasonic waves to produce bubbles of biodiesel feedstock. Bubbles are produced and collapse due to the ultrasonic waves, causing a heat and pressure reaction which causes the raw material to transesterify. An ultrasonic biodiesel reactor is normally used for large or commercial needs, as these units have difficulty creating smaller quantities of biodiesel. These units also tend to require less work from operators and operate at a more automatic pace than cutting reactors.
A shear biodiesel reactor is used in laboratories that need small quantities of biodiesel for testing, can be used in the home by a qualified person, and can also be used for commercial use. These units use heat and reduce the droplet size of the biodiesel feedstock to cause transesterification. Biodiesel usually takes anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours to produce, depending on the unit. These units require more work from the operators, but the unit itself is more versatile in creating different yields and works better with solid feedstock than ultrasonic biodiesel reactor units.
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