Abstract Diesel engines are preferred over spark ignition counterparts for heavy-duty applications and power generation plants because of their higher efficiency, durability, and productivity. Currently, the research interests have been propelled towards renewable and sustainable diesel fuels such as biodiesel in order to address the environmental and energy security challenges associated with these energy systems. However, the most challenging issue concerning large-scale production of biodiesel is its relatively high cost over fossil-based diesel owing to high feedstock and manufacturing costs. Therefore, cost-effective and eco-friendly biodiesel production technologies should be necessarily developed and continuously improved in order to make this biofuel more competitive vs. its petroleum counterpart. Accordingly, this paper comprehensively reviews biodiesel manufacturing techniques from natural oils and fats using conventional and advanced technologies with an in-depth state-of-the-art focus on the utmost important unit, i.e., transesterification reactor. The effects of the main influential parameters on the transesterification process are first discussed in detail in order to better understand the mechanisms behind each reactor technology. Different transesterification reactors; e.g., tubular/plug-flow reactors, rotating reactors, simultaneous reaction-separation reactors, cavitational reactors, and microwave reactors are then scrutinized from the scientific and practical viewpoints. Merits and limitations of each reactor technology for biodiesel production are highlighted to guide future R&D on this topic. At the end of the paper, the sustainability aspects of biodiesel production are comprehensively discussed by emphasizing on the biorefinery concept utilizing waste-oriented oils.

中文翻译：

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生物柴油生产和加工反应器技术：综述

摘要 在重型应用和发电厂中，柴油发动机优于火花点火发动机，因为它们具有更高的效率、耐用性和生产率。目前，研究兴趣已转向可再生和可持续的柴油燃料，例如生物柴油，以解决与这些能源系统相关的环境和能源安全挑战。然而，大规模生产生物柴油最具挑战性的问题是，由于原料和制造成本高，其成本相对于化石柴油而言相对较高。因此，必须开发并不断改进具有成本效益和生态友好的生物柴油生产技术，以使这种生物燃料与石油对应物相比更具竞争力。因此，本文全面回顾了使用传统和先进技术从天然油脂中生产生物柴油的技术，并深入研究了最重要的单元，即酯交换反应器。首先详细讨论主要影响参数对酯交换过程的影响，以便更好地了解每种反应器技术背后的机制。不同的酯交换反应器；例如，管式/活塞流反应器、旋转反应器、同时反应-分离反应器、空化反应器和微波反应器然后从科学和实践的角度进行了仔细研究。强调了用于生物柴油生产的每种反应器技术的优点和局限性，以指导该主题的未来研发。在论文的最后，