Simultaneous Biodiesel Production Research Articles

Simultaneous Optimization and Heat Integration for the Coproduction of Diesel Substitutes: Biodiesel (FAME and FAEE) and Glycerol Ethers from Algae Oil

In this paper, an optimal process for the simultaneous production of biodiesel (using methanol or bioethanol) and ethers of glycerol is proposed to increase the yield to diesel substitutes in current biodiesel production facilities. The problem is formulated as an optimization model including algae oil production, production of ethanol from starch, transesterification of the oil with bioethanol or methanol, etherification of glycerol with i-butene, which depends on a dynamic model to compute the complex chemical kinetics, and the purification of the ethers. Simultaneous optimization and heat integration are carried out and finally the water consumption of the integrated processes is optimized. Several comparisons are presented. First, the use of glycerol to produce ethers or as a byproduct. Second, the use of different alcohols for biodiesel synthesis in an integrated process. The production of glycerol ethers increases the yield of diesel substitutes by 20%. Furthermore, the energy and water consumptions are competitive with those processes when glycerol is the byproduct. For the integration of glycerol ethers with current biodiesel plants, the use of methanol instead of ethanol is cheaper. However, the current price of i-butene results in high production costs. Simultaneous production of ethanol, biodiesel and glyerol ethers reaches the target of $1/gal for biofuels production cost.

Analysis of potential technological schemes for the development of oil palm industry in Colombia: A biorefinery point of view

In this work, two biorefineries based on oil palm were designed, assessed and compared in order to establish the best route to transforms this feedstock into biodiesel, alcohols and other added value products. The first integration approach considers the simultaneous production of biodiesel and ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass and glycerol. The second integration approach includes palm oil fractionation, biodiesel production and Biomass Fired Cogeneration using a gasification technology. These two integration alternatives were analyzed according to their potential income (total sales/total production cost ratio), and environmental impact (WAR algorithm). The total sales/total production cost ratio obtained for the integrated approaches were 1.88 and 3.33 respectively. The potential environmental impacts (PEI/tonne) were 90 and 240 respectively. The economic and environmental assessment revealed a better global performance for the second integrated approach. In this sense, a biorefinery with a major number of products and low energy consumption is an important option for the development of oil palm industry. The latter is due to the maximum utilization this feedstock. On the other hand, a food product can be granted with the production of palm olein fraction.

Pretreatment for Simultaneous Production of Total Lipids and Fermentable Sugars from Marine Alga, Chlorella sp.

The goal of this study was to determine the optimal pretreatment process for the extraction of lipids and reducing sugars to facilitate the simultaneous production of biodiesel and bioethanol from the marine microalga Chorella sp. With a single pretreatment process, the optimal ultrasonication pretreatment process was 10 min at 47 KHz, and extraction yields of 6.5 and 7.1 (percentage, w/w) of the lipids and reducing sugars, respectively, were obtained. The optimal microwave pretreatment process was 10 min at 2,450 MHz, and extraction yields of 6.6 and 7.0 (percentage, w/w) of the lipids and reducing sugars, respectively, were obtained. Lastly, the optimal high-pressure homogenization pretreatment process was two cycles at a pressure of 20,000 psi, and extraction yields of 12.5 and 12.8 (percentage, w/w) of the lipids and reducing sugars, respectively, were obtained. However, because the single pretreatment processes did not markedly improve the extraction yields compared to the results of previous studies, a combination of two pretreatment processes was applied. The yields of lipids and reducing sugars from the combined application of the high-pressure homogenization process and the microwave process were 24.4 and 24.9 % (w/w), respectively, which was up to three times greater than the yields obtained using the single pretreatment processes. Furthermore, the oleic acid content, which is a fatty acid suitable for biodiesel production, was 23.39 % of the fatty acids (w/w). The contents of glucose and xylose, which are among the fermentable sugars useful for bioethanol production, were 77.5 and 13.3 % (w/w) of the fermentable sugars, respectively, suggesting the possibility of simultaneously producing biodiesel and bioethanol. Based on the results of this study, the combined application of the high-pressure homogenization and microwave pretreatment processes is the optimal method to increase the extraction yields of lipids and reducing sugars that are essential for the simultaneous production of biodiesel and bioethanol.

Simultaneous Production of Biodiesel and Free Lutein from Chlorella vulgaris

AbstractBiodiesel and valuable free lutein were demonstrated to be simultaneously produced from Chlorella vulgaris lipid extracts. The alkali catalyst used in the transesterification of triglycerides acted as a reactant in converting lutein fatty acid esters to free lutein. A maximum biodiesel yield of 33.6 % by weight of the algal lipids was obtained after a 4‐h reaction with MeOH at the MeOH/biomass ratio of 16:1 using 6 % alkali catalyst. The excess of alkali and MeOH employed in the production of biodiesel ensured the complete saponification of all lutein fatty acid esters to free lutein, giving a maximum yield of 2.3 % by weight of the algal lipids. In addition, a process for the separation of the biodiesel and free lutein products from the reaction mixture is proposed. Finally, a preliminary economic assessment was conducted, the results of which suggest that the process for the simultaneous production of biodiesel and lutein from C. vulgaris may be economically feasible.

Life Cycle Assessment of a Palm Oil System with Simultaneous Production of Biodiesel and Cooking Oil in Cameroon

The use of palm oil as a biofuel has been heavily debated for its land-use conflict with nature and its competition with food production, being the number one cooking oil worldwide. In that context, we present a life cycle assessment of a palm oil production process yielding both biodiesel and cooking oil, incorporating the land-use impact and evaluating the effect of treating the palm oil mill effluent (POME) prior to disposal. The results show that the nonrenewable energy requirement, global warming potential (GWP; exclusive land-use change), and acidification potential are lower than those of the fossil alternative. However, the system triggers an increase in eutrophication potential (EP) compared to the fossil fuel reference. This system shows less energy requirement, global warming and acidification reduction, and less eutrophication increase compared to the reference than the same system converting all palm oil into biodiesel (no cooking oil production). The land occupation of palm oil triggers ecosystem quality (EQ) loss of 30-45% compared to the potential natural vegetation. Furthermore, such land-use change triggers a carbon debt neutralizing the GWP reduction for 45-53 years. The POME treatment scenarios reveal a trade-off between GWP and EP.