BIODIESEL DISTILLATION

 

When producing Biodiesel from waste products, we cannot always guarantee that the end product will meet the EN14214 specification using our standard equipment. This is not because of our process, it is simply a reality with some low quality feedstock.

 

But this does not mean that the Biodiesel standard cannot be achieved. CARBON has partnered with a worldwide leader in the manufacture of short path wiped film evaporators, and as such we are now able to offer highly efficient and cost effective Biodiesel distillation columns, which are able to ensure that the Biodiesel produced will not only consistently meet the standards, but also exceed them, meaning that even as the standards get ever stricter, our Biodiesel plants are always able to adapt to the new requirements and be at the forefront of quality Biodiesel production.

 

Whether the problem is unreacted mono, di and triglycerides, polymerised triglycerides, or failure to meet the ASTM 6751 cold soak filtration test, our Biodiesel distillation columns are certain to resolve it.

 

GLYCERIN DISTILLATION

 

The main by-product of Biodiesel production is glycerine. With the significant uptake of Biodiesel production seen in recent years, the marketplace has been flooded with this crude glycerine (approximately 80% purity). Initially this crude product could fetch decent prices in the market, but this is not the case anymore, currently only negligible prices are offered. But this by-product’s revenue generating potential should not be ignored.

 

It amounts to approximately 10% of the total Biodiesel produced, and with further refinement it can become a valuable addition to a Biodiesel plant’s profits. Additionally if it is not refined, this form of glycerine must either be disposed of to landfill, or be sold off to market for a minimal amount due to the water, soap and salt content.
The price volatility of glycerine, primarily caused by biodiesel production, has resulted in massive changes in the glycerine refining sector.  The demand for refined glycerine, technical grade and higher, has risen and is starting to stabilize. This is why CARBON has focused on providing glycerine refinement equipment, helping biodiesel plants turn a profit with their finished glycerine, whilst avoiding high disposal fees or negligible returns from their crude glycerine.

 

By refining their glycerine to >97% purity, plants can now sell off their glycerine for a much higher return and create a new and very important revenue stream for their plant.
Refining glycerine to technical grade brings the following advantages to a biodiesel plant:

FATTY ACID FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION

 

Oils and animal fats are composed of several types of fatty acids, and depending on the application there may be a requirement for them to be split into different fractions. The separation of Omega 3 from Ethyl Esters is a good example of this, however many more applications may require it.

 

CARBON offers tailor made oils and fatty acids distillation solutions ranging from tray columns, to packed columns and short path evaporators, for a variety of feedstocks, with high or low viscosities or melting points. Our distillation experts are ideally suited to guide you to the most appropriate solution for your distillation requirements.

 

FATTY ACID FRACTIONATION

 

The fractionation of oils and fats is used in order to modify their melting behaviour and stability such as to improve the functional properties for certain applications. The process itself consists of cooling the oil in a controlled fashion inducing a partial crystallization. The liquid fraction (olein) is then separated from the solid fraction (stearin) by filtration or centrifugation.

 

This process is known as Dry Fractionation, and is by far the most commonly used in the industry due to the low operating cost and relatively good fractionation. If however a different efficiency is required then Solvent Fractionation or Detergent Fractionation may be used depending on the application.

 

CARBON’s team of experienced engineers are able to assist our clients in the best available solution to achieve their goals.

 

FATTY ACID HYDROGENATION

 

Vegetable oils are commonly referred to as “polyunsaturated”, meaning that they are composed of several double bonds. These oils can be converted from liquids to solids by the hydrogenation reaction, an example of this in everyday life are margarines and shortenings, which use this process to make them solid or semi-solid.

 

The reaction is relatively simple, and works via agitation or hydrogen dispersion in the presence of a catalyst. Through carefully controlled temperature and pressure the desired results are obtained. CARBON’s tailor made solutions are ideally suited for your hydrogenation project requirements.

As a provider of complete solutions to the Biodiesel industry, CARBON is also able to offer crude oil refining and waste oils and fats pre-treatment. To this effect we design and build modular crude oil degumming, bleaching, neutralization and deodorizing modules.

 

The systems can work with either physical or chemical refining. All our pre-treatment units have a significant advantage over conventional solutions in the market, through the addition of our unique ultrasonic reactors the efficiency of our units is significantly improved.

Through CARBON’s extensive expertise in the oils and fats industry we have a portfolio of different filtration solutions, ranging from membrane filtration to pressure leaf filtration.

 

Our team designs and builds filtration systems that are modular and can be applied on a standalone basis, or fully integrated into an existing process and/or control system.

 

As the filtration systems are designed for each project, the most efficient solution is what our clients always get.

CARBON revolutionized the way the Biodiesel market is evolving. Using our in-house developed multi-feedstock technology our industrial units are able to convert a wide range of raw materials, from crude vegetable oils to waste materials and by-products such as used cooking oil (UCO), animal fats, Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (PFAD), Trap Grease, Palm Sludge, etc., into high quality Biodiesel exceeding the strict standards of EN14214 and ASTM D6751. Our process can handle up to 100% FFA, with a maximisation of yields, up to 100% typical!

 

ADVANTAGES OF OUR UNIQUE MULTI-FEEDSTOCK SYSTEM

Methanol Recovery is one of the most important parts of the production process, second only to the reaction stage. Only slightly more than half of the methanol used for the reaction process is actually consumed, leaving high amounts in both the Biodiesel and glycerine phases. With today’s methanol prices this means any Biodiesel producer simply cannot afford to throw away almost half of the methanol they purchase. With this in mind, IncBio offers two types of methanol recovery systems:

The neutralization process is used in the industry as a chemical treatment of oils and fats in order to remove FFA by producing soap stock. Depending on the client’s requirements CARBON’s system can be integrated into an acid degumming system, whereby the oil is acidulated after a water wash in order to remove hydratable gums, and the non-hydratable gums and soapstock are removed in the same centrifugation step, or it can be installed as an independent process positioned after bleaching of the oil.

 

Upon completion of the neutralization step the neutralized oil is washed with water in order to remove traces of soap stock. As with all our systems that require intensive mixing, our in-house developed ultrasonic reactors are used in the neutralization process.

CARBON has conducted extensive R&D in ultrasonic reactor technology, and after a considerably long time spent in testing a variety of feedstocks and processes we have developed our own reactors specifically developed to process on both batch and continuous plants. These ultrasonic reactors can be fully ATEX compliant and can be retrofitted to any operational plant.

 

By creating molecular cavitation our reactors ensure that whenever a process requires intensive mixing, the medium is homogeneously emulsified and come to a complete reaction, increasing yields dramatically. 

 

ADVANTAGES OF OUR ULTRASONIC REACTORS:

Process flexibility – ultrasounds achieve the same great results with any feedstock; 

Low power consumption – with a total consumption of approximately 2kWh per 1,000 litres of liquid medium processed, our reactors are unmatched for economy; 

No moving parts – ultrasonic reactors have no moving parts, meaning that there is virtually no maintenance required, apart from regular cleaning operations; 

Consistently high yields and quality – by creating micro bubbles, that contract and expand increasing the surface area where the reaction takes place instantaneously, molecular cavitation emulsifies the feedstock and reagents guaranteeing maximum yields and high quality finished product at all times.