Simulation of Biodiesel Production Plant
Using Animal Fats
PRESENTED BY :
MUHAMMAD DANIYAL (B21108006014)
MUHAMMAD OWAIS (B21108006017)
SHEIKH AFSAR ALI (B21108006026)
Introduction
Growing interest in sustainable biofuels due to fossil fuel issues.
Animal fats = waste material from meat industry → non-edible, sustainable feedstock.
Process: Transesterification of fats with methanol → biodiesel + glycerol.
Simulation done using Aspen HYSYS.
📌 Reference: Section 1 - Introduction
Objectives
1 2 3 4 5
Design Simulation Optimization Calculation Evaluation
Model a biodiesel Simulate all unit Optimize Calculate mass Evaluate
production plant. operations. parameters: and energy conversion
temperature, balances. efficiency.
pressure, flow
rate.
📌 Reference: Section 2 - Objectives
Software and Methodology
Aspen HYSYS V11 used.
Thermodynamic model: NRTL – Ideal.
Chemical components included:
•Triolein (animal fat)
•Methanol
•Sodium Hydroxide
•Methyl Oleate (biodiesel)
•Glycerol
📌 Reference: Section 3 & 5A
Process Flow Diagram (PFD)
Process Flow Diagram (PFD)
Key Units in the PFD (as per Section 8):
1 2 3 4 5
Mixers Pumps Heater Conversion Component
MIX-100/101/102 P-100, P-101 – E-100 – Heater to Reactor Splitter
– Mixers Pumps for bring feed to CRV-100 – X-100 –
pressure increase reaction temp Conversion Component
Reactor Splitter for
(transesterificatio separation
n)
6 7 8
Simulation work:
Simulation Flow Summary
1 2 3 4 5
Mixing Heating Stage Transesterific Separation Recycling
Process Stream heated in ation Process Methanol
Animal fat, Heater (E-100). Sent to Reactor Products split in Methanol
methanol, and (CRV-100): Component recycled.
NaOH enter the Transesterificatio Splitter (X-100).
Mixer. n occurs.
Purification
Biodiesel
washed, glycerol
Simulation Flow Summary
Simulation Parameters
Temperature Pressure
60–65°C Atmospheric
Conversion Output biodiesel
Specified in CRV-100 as fractional. Methyl Oleate (FAME)
Byproduct
Glycerol
📌 Reference: Section 4 & 5A.6
Component Setup
1 Custom Component 2 Side Reactions
Side reactions
Defined custom
considered:
component: Triolein
Saponification (Soap
Formation)
3 Methanol Recovery 4 Impurities Handling
Methanol recovery: Impurities handled using
Distillation section Separator and Wash
📌 Reference: Section 5A.4 & 5A.6
Key Results
Biodiesel Production Methanol Recycling
10 TPD biodiesel requires Efficient methanol recycling
573 kg/hr animal fat. is critical.
Energy Saving Quality Assurance
Heat integration saves Conversion reactor and
energy. wash units are essential for
product quality.
📌 Reference: Section 9 – Summary of Important Results
Challenges and Solutions
Challenge Solution
No Triglyceride data Use representative component (Triolein)
Recycle stream convergence Use tear streams and proper initialization
Missing kinetics Use lab/research data or conversion reactor
Impurity handling Component Splitters + Wash units
Thermodynamic model issues Choose NRTL-Ideal carefully
📌 Reference: Section 6 – Challenges Faced
Digital Tools & Future Scope
AI and ML Usage Programming Languages
Use of AI and ML for optimization. MATLAB/Python for custom kinetics.
Open-source Tools Cloud-based Platforms
Explore open-source tools like DWSIM. Consider cloud-based simulation platforms.
Future Planning
Future: Economic analysis + pilot plant setup.
📌 Reference: Section 7
Conclusion
1 Simulation Result 2 Feedstock Viability
Simulation successfully Animal fats are viable
modeled biodiesel feedstock.
production.
3 Scale-Up Support 4 Design Efficiency
Simulation supports Efficient design achieved
scale-up potential. using Aspen HYSYS.
📌 Reference: Section 9
References
Optimization Biodiesel
Vivek Raja (2015) – using Giwa et al. (2020) – Aspen
Aspen Plus HYSYS for
Methanolysis Membrane Reactor
Aboelazayem et al. (2020) – Abdurakhman et al. (2017)
Supercritical – studies
📌 Reference: Section 10
Thank You