Significance of Membrane Applications for High-Quality Biodiesel and Byproduct (Glycerol) in Biofuel Industries—Review

Abstract

Many of the highly populated and industrialized countries are paying more attention to green fuels. The conventional methods for biodiesel purification processes result in a large quantity of polluted water, leading to serious environmental concerns. To overcome the challenges in the existing process, addressing the membrane technology is a viable solution to direct further research toward sustainable membrane-based green production.

The developing membrane technology is an alternative method for eliminating wastewater during biodiesel production from conventional processes. This paper provides a comprehensive review of recent development applications of the catalytic membrane and membrane materials for high-quality biodiesel production. Both polymeric and ceramic membranes result in optimum performance of more than 90% effective conversion and purification. The catalytic membrane reactor integrates chemical reaction and product separation concurrently in a single device system to produce high-quality biodiesel. Glycerol purification of 99% was achieved in the potential membrane distillation process.

This review critically summarizes biodiesel production and purification using membrane techniques and membrane reactors. Membrane material and separation efficiency were discussed in a short view. Besides, the significance of catalytic membrane reactor is outlined. Glycerol separation and purification by removal of water and other residual impurities were potentially achieved using membrane technology. Apart from applications of the membrane, the novel attempt of a combined description of influencing factors and limitations of the membrane during biodiesel production was revealed. Therefore, membrane applications in high-grade biodiesel and value-added byproduct production are the predominant green technological approach for next-generation biofuels.