Kinetics of palm oil transesterification in a batch reactor

Methyl esters were produced by transesterification of palm oil with methanol in the presence of a catalyst (KOH). The rate of transesterification in a batch reactor increased with temperature up to 60°C. Higher temperatures did not reduce the time to reach maximal conversion. The conversion of triglycerides (TG), diglycerides (DG), and monoglycerides (MG) appeared to be second order up to 30 min of reaction time. Reaction rate constants for TG, DG, and MG hydrolysis reactions were 0.018–0.191 (wt%·min)⁻¹, and were higher at higher temperatures and higher for the MG reaction than for TG hydrolysis. Activation energies were 14.7, 14.2, and 6.4 kcal/mol for the TG, DG, and MG hydrolysis reactions, respectively. The optimal catalyst concentration was 1% KOH.