On July 15, TASS reported that scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) have tested a nanomembrane reactor for producing biofuel from rapeseed oil, with experiments showing that the reactor can reduce biofuel production time by half.

According to the press service of the Ministry of Education and Science, project leader Associate Professor Maxim Piskunov from TPU's Butakov Research and Education Center stated that, as part of the research, they assembled a nanomembrane batch reactor to produce biofuel through the transesterification reaction of rapeseed oil with methanol using potassium hydroxide as a catalyst. Rapeseed is one of the most promising raw materials for biodiesel production due to its high yield and oil content, as well as year-round availability and more favorable pricing.

The reactor is based on a semi-permeable polymer membrane manufactured using multi-channel electroforming technology on equipment independently developed at TPU. The system enables precise real-time adjustment of membrane porosity, thickness, and uniformity. The membrane's raw material is a domestically produced polymer with excellent chemical resistance to mineral oils, acids, and alkalis.

The scientists explained that the new nanomembrane reactor features a special pore structure that significantly improves separation and filtration processes in fuel production. It is applicable to numerous industrial processes and can withstand high temperatures up to 150–170°C.

Graduate student Nikita Khomutov from the Butakov Research and Education Center noted that the total time to obtain fatty acid methyl esters has been shortened from 3–5 hours using the traditional transesterification method to 1.5–2 hours.

The project was implemented with support from the federal "Priority 2030" project under the "Youth and Children" track of the Ministry of Education and Science. The research results have been published in the journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (Q2, impact factor: 3.8), and the composition of the reactor components along with their manufacturing method have been patented.