Key words: bio-diesel fuel, rape-seed oil, re-esterification, supercritical methanol, methyl esters
Modern trends in the development and use of production of motor fuels from renewable bio-materials (bio-mass, various vegetable and seed oils) are discussed. The emphasis is placed on the production of so-called bio-diesel fuel (methyl esters of fatty acids) from rape-seed oil triglycerides. It is demonstrated that the utilization of supercritical fluids can be efficient on stages of both synthesis and isolation (purification) of target methyl esters of fatty acids. Limitations of conventional catalytic re-esterification process are discussed. and possible of Authors' experimental data demonstrate that non-catalytic re-esterification in supercritical methanol can be very efficient and beneficial from the standpoint of practical realization.