| Soybean oil deodorizer distillate is an important raw material for natural VE extraction. The esterification reaction of soybean oil deodorizer distillate was investigated in a novel hydrodynamic cavitation reactor. The effects of inlet pressure of cavitation element, dosage of catalyst (concentrated sulfuric acid), circulation flow rate and cavitation volume ratio of oil to methanol on the esterification reaction and yield of VE were studied. Meanwhile, the hydrodynamic cavitation mixing technology and traditional mechanical stirring were compared. The results showed that the optimal parameters of esterification reaction in the hydrodynamic cavitation reactor were obtained as follows: inlet pressure of cavitation element 0.3 MPa, dosage of catalyst 3% (based on the mass of oil), circulation flow rate 300 mL/min and cavitation volume ratio of oil to methanol 5∶1; under these conditions, the esterification rate reached 99% and the yield of VE was 99% when the reaction time was 180 min. Compared with mechanical stirring, the esterification rate of hydrodynamic cavitation enhanced mixing increased by 12.1% under the condition of the same ratio of raw materials. |
