The base catalyzed production of biodiesel (FAME) from sunflower oil and methanol in a continuous
centrifugal contactor separator (CCS) with integrated reaction and phase separation was studied. The
effect of catalyst loading (sodium methoxide), temperature, rotational frequency and flow rates of the
feed streams was investigated. An optimized and reproducible FAME yield of 96% was achieved at a feed
rate of 12.6mLmin−1 sunflower oil and a sixfold molar excess of MeOH (3.15mLmin−1) containing the
catalyst (1 wt% with respect to the oil). A jacket temperature of 75 ◦C and a rotational frequency of 30 Hz
were applied. The productivity under those conditions (61 kgFAMEm−3
liquid min−1) was slightly higher than
for a conventional batch process. The main advantage is the combined reaction–separation in the CCS,
eliminating the necessity of a subsequent liquid–liquid separation step