Esters include any class of organic compounds that react with water to produce alcohols and organic or inorganic compounds. The most common esters are derived from carboxylic acids. In the process called esterification, carboxylic acid esters are usually prepared by reaction of carboxylic acids and alcohols in the presence of hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. Esters do not accumulate, it is eco-friendly, bear low chemical risk, and are mostly biodegradable which make the utilization of it more advantageous. Also, the raw materials for ester production can easily found in vegetable oils and animal fats. Fatty acid esters such as stearic acid are used in food, detergents, cosmetics, pharmaceutical industries, as well as in fuel production. Employing alternative ways in production of various renewable energies have been developing and continue to improve. For instance, biofuels and biodiesel production with renewable feed stocks are widely developed in order to utilize a renewable source with less harmful effects in the environment. Esterification of fatty acid can be used for the synthesis of biodiesel. Also, with presence of appropriate catalyst, problems encountered during processing and separation can be addressed. One example of catalyst that can be use is oxalic acid, it is a crystalline organic acid commonly used for recovery of rare-earth metals, bleaching agent in textiles, wood pulp, rust remover for metals, and purifying agent in pharmaceutical industries. It has a high solubility in water and alcohols, and has the ability to be recovered then reused for the same process.
This reactor design project will use the data obtained from the study entitled “Esterification of stearic acid for biodiesel production in the presence of homogenous milder organic acid as catalysts” in order to design a continuous and batch reactor using the Sims Lab application. The reaction rate will be observed as well as the following parameters; reaction time; catalyst concentration; and mole ratio of stearic acid to methanol at varying temperature. Also, the results will be compared in each reactor.
I hope I'll be able to finish this on time😌