A new pilot flow reactor for high-intensity ultrasound irradiation. Application to the synthesis of biodiesel

摘要: Abstract In recent years, chemistry in flowing systems has become more prominent as a method of carrying out chemical transformations, ranging scale from microchemistry up to kilogram-scale processes. Compared classic batch ultrasound reactors, flow reactors stand for their greater efficiency and flexibility well lower energy consumption. This paper presents new ultrasonic reactor developed our laboratory, pilot system suited reaction up. was applied the transesterification soybean oil with methanol biodiesel production. is mass-transfer-limited initially because two reactants are immiscible each other, then glycerol phase separates together most catalyst (Na or K methoxide). mixture (1.6 L), sodium methoxide 30% (wt/wt ratio 80:19.5:0.5, respectively) fully transesterified at about 45 °C 1 h (21.5 kHz, 600 W, rate 55 mL/min). The same result could be achieved considerable reduction consumption, by two-step procedure: first conventional heating under mechanical stirring (30 min 45 °C), followed irradiation temperature (35 min, Our studies confirmed that high-throughput applications definitively require reactors.