LAUSR

Abstract This research was devoted to investigating the exergetic performance of a continuous reactor applied to valorize glycerol through esterification with acetic acid in the presence of Amberlyst®36 as catalyst. The main aim of the current study was to evaluate the effects of reaction temperature (66–134 °C), acetic acid to glycerol molar ratio (1–9), and pressure (1–199 bar) at a fixed feed flow rate of 0.5 mL/min on the exergetic performance parameters of the reactor. The developed reactor satisfactorily converted glycerol into acetins, i.e., monoacetin, diacetin, and triacetin. The exergetic performance parameters of the reactor were profoundly influenced by the process variables. In general, reaction temperature of 80 °C, acetic acid to glycerol molar ratio of 3, and pressure of 41 bar were found to be the most optimal glycerol esterification conditions from the exergetic viewpoint. Under these conditions, functional exergetic efficiency and exergetic productivity index of the process stood at 25.38% and 0.42%, respectively. The results obtained showed that selection of the esterification conditions based on yield alone could be misleading, since high-yield chemical operations might potentially destroy large amounts of resources as a result of thermodynamic irreversibilities. Overall, the best operating conditions determined herein can be applied in commercial scale for efficient, productive, and sustainable valorization of glycerol into value-added acetins.