by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) … Even so-called conventional chemical processing is riddled with original approaches and unique twists. A cookie-cutter industry biodiesel is not. While too many technologies exist in this field to report on, Biodiesel Magazineoffers an overview of several emerging biodiesel process developments or existing optimization techniques that have made headlines and headway recently—some more developed and commercially tested than others.
A unique microwave process to convert used cooking oil (UCO) and other tested feedstock to biodiesel with methanol and a solid catalyst, strontium oxide (SrO), is being developed by Jiunn-Der Liao, professor, and faculty of National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan. Aharon Gedanken, professor emeritus of chemistry, Bar-Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel, invited by Liao, is cooperating with NCKU faculty in conducting the research and scaling up the process.
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Methes Energies recently introduced its new biodiesel pretreatment process centered on a noncorrosive liquid catalyst it calls PP-MEC. Feedstock with up to 70 percent free fatty acids (FFA) and less than 0.2 percent moisture is combined with methanol and 1,000 parts per million (ppm) of PP-MEC catalyst in a high-pressure reaction vessel.
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In November, Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies was recognized at the annual Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Awards by winning the IChemE Sustainable Technology Award for its development of a reactive distillation process for biodiesel production. The technology is geared toward converting low-quality feedstocks to biodiesel efficiently and economically.
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Early last year, Blue Sun Biodiesel in St. Joseph, Missouri, and Viesel Fuel LLC in Stuart, Florida, announced the full-scale production of enzymatic biodiesel in partnership with Novozymes. The enzyme maker has also worked with WB Services LLC on the Illinois-based biodiesel project co-located with Adkins Energy’s ethanol plant, featuring enzymatic and chemical processing. …
In December, Novozymes announced it is making its Eversa enzymatic biodiesel solution commercially available. …
Global biodiesel plant builder Desmet Ballestra says enzymatic processing will prove popular with biodiesel producers. “The enzymatic process is simple and does not need much pretreatment,” says Marc Kellens, group technical director at Desmet Ballestra.
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In collaboration with Tactical Fabrication of Dublin, Georgia, and Novozymes of Denmark, a novel biodiesel production technology developed by Viesel Skunk Works LLC will soon be offered commercially. The system features a continuous flow enzymatic reaction process that also eliminates sulfur from biodiesel when low-grade feedstocks such as brown grease are used.
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A joint venture partnership was recently announced between TransBiodiesel and Virginia-based project Appalachian Biofuels LLC for production using immobilized enzymes.
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One proven biodiesel process optimization technology is the use of ultrasonics to vastly increase surface area for quicker reactions. Steven Myers, vice president of engineering for Ultrasonic Power Corp., says UPC’s reactors are based on its patented Vibra-bar transducer technology. READ MORE