Thermophysical properties of biodiesel and related systems: (Liquid plus liquid) equilibrium data for soybean biodiesel

This work reports (liquid + liquid) equilibrium (LLE) data for the systems of interest in soybean biodiesel production. Numerical data for LLE were obtained for binary, ternary and quaternary systems comprising fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) from soybean oil, water, glycerol, methanol, and ethanol at temperatures of (303.15, 318.15, and 333.15) K. Quantification of compounds in equilibrium in both phases was determined by analytical methods whereas solubility curves (binodal) were obtained by the cloud-point method. For all systems investigated, good alignments were obtained between phase compositions and the initial as well as overall compositions hence indicating low deviations from the mass balance. Experimental results were correlated using the UNIQUAC model with satisfactory agreement between experiment and theory. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.