A hydrodynamic cavitation-assisted system for optimization of biodiesel production from green microalgae oil using a genetic algorithm and response surface methodology approach

Abstract

In the present research work, the effect of operating parameters such as molar ratio (3:1–7:1), catalyst concentration (0.5–1.5%), reaction time (5–25 min), and operating pressure (0–4 bar) on the rate of biodiesel conversion percentage for the transesterification reaction using hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) has been studied. Response surface methodology (RSM) and genetic algorithms (GA) were used to find the best condition. The best conditions for biodiesel generation were a molar ratio of 6.5:1, a catalyst concentration of 1.301 wt.%, a reaction period of 11.5 min, and operating pressure of 3.6 bar. The maximum yield of biodiesel obtained under optimal conditions was 97.3%. The reaction time for biodiesel produced by HC under similar conditions as the conventional technique was reduced by 85%. The HC approach is preferable to the conventional method due to its shorter processing time.