Process Systems Engineering for Biofuels Development

8Implementation of Biodiesel Production Process Using Enzyme‐Catalyzed Routes

Thalles Allan Andrade, Massimiliano Errico, and Knud Villy Christensen

Department of Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology and Environmental Technology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230, Odense, Denmark

8.1 Introduction

Due to the continuous human population growth and the increase in the industrial and transport sectors, the global energy demand has continuously increased. As specified by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (2017), the total energy consumption in the world was 575 quadrillion BTU in 2015. This number is expected to have increased by 28% in 2040, reaching a value of 736 quadrillion BTU. This demand is met mainly by fossil fuels, which includes petrochemicals based on crude oil, coal, and natural gas. At present, only a minor contribution is from renewable energy sources like biofuels and hydroelectricity (Srivastava and Prasad 2000).

Environmental concerns due to the escalation in greenhouse gas emissions have increased over recent decades, as these emissions lead to atmospheric pollution and global warming. Numerous policies have been implemented aiming to reduce the worldwide emission of greenhouse gases. As a result, the global energy‐related CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels remained approximately flat in 2016, with the increase projected to be only 0.2% after a growth of 2.2% over the past decade (REN21 2017).

In addition to climate change and the increasing demand for ...