Continuous synthesis of castor oil ethyl esters under supercritical ethanol

The transesterification of castor oil under supercritical ethanol using a catalyst-free continuous process was investigated. The effect of water concentration on the reaction medium, reaction temperature, pressure, and substrates flow rate were studied. A maximum ester content of 74.2% was achieved when the reactor was operated at 573 K, 20 MPa, substrates flow rate of 0.8 ml min⁻¹, and 5 wt% water concentration in the alcohol. The ester content of the product increased with the operation temperature, but after certain temperature level the converse effect was observed. This adverse effect was attributed to oil degradation, which increased to 88.7% at 648 K (at the flow rate of 0.8 ml min⁻¹). A favorable effect on ester content was observed when the water concentration was increased, unlike the effect of water on the conventional alkali-catalyzed process.