Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: Community Based Biodiesel Production from Trap Grease: The Evaluation of Technical and Economic Feasibilities

EPA Grant Number: SU835291
Title: Community Based Biodiesel Production from Trap Grease: The Evaluation of Technical and Economic Feasibilities
Investigators: Lu, Mingming , Tu, Qingshi , Zhang, Junsong , Liu, Jason , Wang, Jingjing , Xi, Ru , Waterman, Logan , Williams, Daniel , McNeeley, Adam , Luan, Ruiyuan , Vutai, Vincent , Holliday, Nathan , Greve, Anna , Pocker, Kathe , Gillespie, Ron , Jacobs, Ethan , Noronha Silva, Aklecio de , Rocha, Lohayne Vilela
Institution: University of Cincinnati
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Phase: II
Project Period: August 15, 2012 through August 14, 2014 (Extended to August 14, 2016)
Project Amount: $90,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet - Phase 2 (2012) Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities

Objective:

The goal is to develop technologies to reuse trap grease (collected from grease traps exclusively) as well as sewer grease (collected from the sewer treatment system, a mixed waste) as biodiesel feedstocks or make it into biodiesel. Since solvent extraction is strongly discouraged by biodiesel producers (a hard sell, as they call it), the technology development goal is not to use any solvents that are "new" to the current biodiesel process. E.g. hexane, methylene chloride, or isopropyl alcohol are considered new, while methanol is what biodiesel producers always work with, together with acids and bases.

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

We soon learned what we obtained from a local waste water treatment plant, which referred to as trap grease, should actually be called sewer grease (or scum). Trap grease was obtained from a commercial food processor. Due to physical/chemical differences between the two, technologies for reuse were developed for these two types of FOG.

The sewer grease is emulsified, and therefore oil can not be obtained from heating. There has not been much studies on sewer grease. The group developed an innovative oil extraction technology not using solvents such as hexane. This result in a biodiesel feedstock with less than 15% free fatty acid (FFA), i.e. a yellow grease. A journal paper is published on this process. The team also tested direct transesterification, i.e. the in-situ process, which makes the lipid fraction directly into biodiesel. The in-situ process has the potential of eliminating the oil extraction process. Advantages and disadvantages of these processes are also summarized.

The lipid content from the trap grease can be obtained by direct heating and contains 30 to 70% FFA. The team tested the glycerolysis process, which is a reaction between free fatty acids (FFA) and glycerol to form mono- and di-glycerides,. The advantage of this process: reuse the surplus crude glycerin from biodiesel production. Results show that crude (waste) glycerine is as effective as pure. The glycerolysis process has the potential to replace acid esterification when FFA is too high. A journal paper is being submitted.

A large scale extractor was built that can accommodate 600 grams of raw materials. This extractor can be used as an in-situ transesterification reactor and a regular soxhlet extractor. Lab scale soxhlet usually only takes 50 grams of materials or less.

Conclusions:

Detailed technical discussion has been provided above. Due to data and software limitations, we did not do much life cycle costing and analysis, nor did we quantify the benefits. The project is successful in training students, and promoting commercialization. Due to the success of this P3 project, PI received an NSF I-corps grant, and is currently attending the Oct. 6-Nov. 18 cohort. The PI is working with a business mentor to develop more business proposals to build pilot scale tests, and look for early adopters.

Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format

Publications Views
Other project views:	All 17 publications	2 publications in selected types	All 2 journal articles

Publications
Type	Citation	Project	Document Sources
Journal Article	Tu Q, Lu M, Knothe G. Glycerolysis with crude glycerin as an alternative pretreatment for biodiesel production from grease trap waste:Parametrictudy and energy analysis. JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION 2017;162:504-511.	SU835291 (Final) SU836038 (Final)	Full-text: ScienceDirect - Full Text HTML Exit

Supplemental Keywords:

Trap grease, sewer grease, biodiesel, team Effluent, commercialization

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

2013 Progress Report

2014 Progress Report

2015 Progress Report

P3 Phase I:

Community Based Biodiesel Production from Trap Grease: The Evaluation of Technical and Economic Feasibilities | Final Report

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The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.