Hydrated metal salt pretreatment and alkali catalyzed reactive distillation: A two-step production of waste cooking oil biodiesel

• Waste cooking oil was considered as feedstock for biodiesel production. Kinetic data were derived from actual WCO samples avoiding model components. Aluminum chloride hexahydrate is a promizing catalyst the esterification step. Reactive distillation with alkali used transesterification. In this work, novel method proposed conversion of waste into biodiesel. A two-step approach based on pretreatment AlCl 3 •6H 2 O to convert FFA relevant methyl esters, followed by complete transesterification glycerides, under KOH catalysis in reactive column, considered. The allowed obtain two different phases: an oily phase, rich FAME and triacylglycerols very limited content water (100 ppm), residual (1 mg /g ), methanol which most catalyst, monoacylglycerols dissolved in. esterified stream characterized its composition new kinetic parameters be setting distillation. column proved efficient obtaining purity requirement conform EN14214 standards. step specific heating 701.3 kJ per kg produced.