Biodiesel from Low-Grade Animal Fat: Production Process Assessment and Biodiesel Properties Characterization

Biodiesel from different mixtures of animal fat and soybean oil has been synthesized, and its properties have been evaluated and related to its composition. A mixture of 50 vol % of both raw materials has been selected as a Suitable feedstock for industrial biodiesel production, and a computer simulation of the production process using Aspen Plus software has been carried out to evaluate the industrial feasibility of this scheme using this cheaper feedstock. The results obtained suggest that the process proposed and described produces a biodiesel with the selected feedstock acceptable by the standards with a lower final cost. The feedstocks employed are cheaper and consist of a waste fat without any other use, thus increasing the environmental benefits of the biodiesel and reducing dependency on conventional agricultural raw materials.