Biodiesel production from algal oil — A simulation study

Process simulation using ASPEN Plus is carried out to model a two-stage alkali catalyzed transesterification reaction for converting micro algal oil to biodiesel. A 6:1 methanol to algal oil feed ratio is assumed using NaOH as a catalyst at 60 °C reaction temperature, which results in almost 99 % biodiesel yield for the trans-esterification reaction. Product quality is assessed and compared with market bio-diesel and petro-diesel. It is shown that this project is technically feasible, which makes algal oil a much more competitive substitute to food-based plant oils.