The potential of continuous oscillatory flow reactors in biodiesel reaction

Nowadays, biodiesel is one of many alternative fuel options that has the potential to help reduce oil dependence and global warming pollution. There has been a significant demand in the biodiesel yield for the more efficient use of reagents, energy while minimising the production cost and waste materials. These needs have led to a number of continuous reactors being developed in recent years, and oscillatory baffled reactor (OBR) is one such a reactor. This study shows the oscillatory baffled reactor (OBR), which, generally, has a niche application in performing ‘long’ processes in plug flow conditions, and so should be suitable for various bioprocesses, espeacially biodiesel production. Oscillatory flow reactors offer a number of advantages over conventional reactors such as flow plug reactor (FPR) and continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The flow patterns in an oscillatory baffled reactor operating at oscillating conditions show a high extent of radial mixing, which can be used to control the residence time distribution in a reactor or enhance not only the contacting of immiscible phases betwwen reactants and catalysts but also mass and heat tranfer.