Enhancing biodiesel production from palm fatty acid distillate: Impacts of co‐solvent and molecular sieves under high‐temperature conditions

Abstract

This study explores biodiesel production from palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD), focusing on optimizing the esterification process through the use of co‐solvents and molecular sieves under high‐temperature and high‐pressure conditions. Palm fatty acid distillate, a low‐value by‐product of crude palm oil refining, was used as a feedstock with a free fatty acid (FFA) content of 88.4%. Esterification was conducted in a 400‐L batch reactor at 130 °C and 15 bar, using methanol at a molar ratio of 1:3.7 and 1.834 wt% sulfuric acid as a catalyst. Co‐solvents such as dichlorobenzene enhanced miscibility, while molecular sieves effectively removed water to increase reaction efficiency. The optimized process achieved a fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield of 97.44% within 30 min, meeting European Standard EN 14214:2003. The study highlights the potential of PFAD as an economical and sustainable biodiesel feedstock, with production costs of 0.45 USD per liter. This research contributes to the development of high‐efficiency biodiesel production processes that reduce reliance on fossil fuels and support renewable energy initiatives.