摘要 |
In one embodiment, a method for pre-treating an oil comprises: introducing a oil, an alcohol, and an acid catalyst to a first continuous stirred tank reactor vessel, wherein the oil comprises free fatty acids; selectively reacting the oil and the alcohol to convert the free fatty acids to alkyl esters, wherein the reaction does not produce glycerol; removing a pre-treated oil stream from a lower portion of the first continuous stirred tank reactor, wherein the pre-treated oil stream comprises the alkyl esters; and recycling the alcohol and acid catalyst from an upper portion of the first continuous stirred tank reactor.
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