I'm looking for a mechanical design to recover methanol from a biodiesel production process. We are using virgin vegetable oil ( jatropha oil ), to produce biodiesel. The transesterification process we are using employs 20K horizontal steel tanks with copper heating coils on the bottom of the tank and half way up the sides. We bring the oil up to 140-180 degrees add sodium hydroxide and methanol to break out the glycerine. Blending is done via a recirculation system.
Any help would be appreciated.