Patent ID: 7622600

Claim:
A continuous biofuel production process comprising the steps of: introducing a selected feedstock containing fatty acids and triglycerides into a first reaction vessel, wherein alkyl esters are produced through the esterification of free fatty acids; introducing the triglycerides and alkyl esters into a second reaction vessel, wherein at least a portion of the triglycerides are converted to alkyl esters and glycerin through transesterification; introducing the alkyl esters, glycerin, and remaining triglycerides into a third reaction vessel, wherein at least a portion of the remaining triglycerides are converted to alkyl esters and glycerin through transesterification; passing the alkyl esters and glycerin to a first separator, wherein the first separator is configured to separate the glycerin from the alkyl esters, and wherein the alkyl esters are part of a biofuel mixture; passing the biofuel mixture to a fuel wash vessel, wherein the biofuel mixture is washed, and wherein the washed biofuel mixture comprises soap slurry and raw biofuel; and passing the washed biofuel mixture to a second separator, wherein the second separator is configured to separate the soap slurry from the raw biofuel.