Towards Zero-Waste Biodiesel Production: Purification of Methanol Recovery

Abstract The depletion of crude oil sources, along with a rising awareness of the adverse environmental impacts of utilizing fossil fuels, prompted the growth of alternate strategies for converting waste biomass into biofuels. Wakud is a biodiesel production plant in Oman using waste cooking oil to turn it into biodiesel. The process generates excessive amount of methanol, the purpose of this study is to enhance methanol recovery purity. The experimental study was conducted using 3A molecular sieves for methanol dewatering process. In addition to a simulation study that was conducted using ASPEN PLUS software, one distillation column is used to obtain high purity methanol. The results of the experimental study showed 98% pure methanol is achieved. However, the distillation column purified methanol recovery by 99% and the biodiesel obtained by 96%. Both studies proved that these methods would effectively reduce water content in methanol.