Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Novel Reactor Design for Biodiesel Production
EPA Grant Number: SU833524Title: Novel Reactor Design for Biodiesel Production
Investigators: Cairncross, Richard A. , Cernansky, Nicholas P. , Ruiz, Africa , Wilson, Brittany , Cavan, Chad , Melick, Cory , Cochran, David , Lucchesi, Jared , Okpalanne, Joshua , Temple, Joshua , Leone, Lisa , Shustack, Matthew , Serina, Michael , Vena, Nicholas , Wilson, Timothy
Institution: Drexel University
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Phase: I
Project Period: August 31, 2007 through July 31, 2008
Project Amount: $9,975
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2007) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The goal of this project is to determine the technical and economic feasibility of a bubble-column reactor for production of biodiesel from alternative low-value oil feedstocks. Many waste oil and plant oils contain a significant amount of Free Fatty Acids (FFA), which cause standard biodiesel processes to produce excessive soaps and low conversion to biodiesel. The proposed reactor uses acid catalysts that do not produce soaps and higher temperatures that boil the methanol. The bubbling methanol provides agitation and removes the by-product water. There is a trade-off between faster intrinsic kinetics and lower methanol concentrations at higher temperatures. This project explored this balance to determine optimal conditions for biodiesel production.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
A set of analytical procedures were developed to monitor production of biodiesel from standard vegetable oils (triglycerides) and from Free Fatty Acids (FFA). Acid titration is the most convenient and accurate technique for monitoring the conversion of FFA to biodiesel. A semi-batch reactor was constructed and used to investigate how temperature, catalyst, and methanol content affect the efficiency of biodiesel production. With this reactor more than 99% conversion of FFA to biodiesel can be achieve in about one hour at 100°C – making this reactor competitive with traditional biodiesel reactors, which only work with pure triglycerides.
Based on the semi-batch reactor results a feasibility study was performed to determine the process economics of the bubble column reactor. The bubble column reactor leads to reduced capital costs and utility costs in both the reactor section of the plant and the purification section of the plant. This leads to favorable economics with a 15.6% rate of return and 5.5 year payback period; these economic projections will likely improve with optimization.
The semi-batch reactor results were also used to design and construct a prototype continuous reactor. The continuous reactor has been constructed and initial reaction tests are underway. Initial results appear to confirm the semi-batch reactor results.
Conclusions:
The bubble column reactor is a feasible technique for producing biodiesel from alternative feedstocks. Scale-up of the reactor to pilot and plant scale will require effective control of bubble dispersion and mixing, which will be explored in more detail in Phase II. The economics of this reactor are favorable and the reactor is more robust for converting a variety of feedstocks to biodiesel without being susceptible to soap formation. Some alternative feedstocks are available in developing communities, and this reactor could be effective on a small scale, leading to micro-economic opportunities for communities with access to high-FFA oil feedstocks.
Proposed Phase II Objectives and Strategies:
In Phase II of this EPA P3 project, the bubble column reactor design will be optimized and scaled up to pilot scale. The prototype reactor will be used to measure reaction rate constants and mass transfer coefficients for water and methanol. A detailed mathematical model of the bubble reactor will be developed. Results from the experiments and model will be used to refine the feasibility study. The bubble reactor model will be used to determine appropriate scaling parameters for bubble column reactor and construct and test a pilot scale reactor.
Supplemental Keywords:
sustainability, biofuel, soybean oil, trap grease, FAME, FFA,, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Sustainable Industry/Business, POLLUTION PREVENTION, Environmental Chemistry, Sustainable Environment, Energy, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Engineering, Environmental Engineering, sustainable development, environmental sustainability, alternative materials, biomass, alternative fuel, biodiesel fuel, energy efficiency, energy technology, alternative energy sourceRelevant Websites:
Phase 2 AbstractP3 Phase II:
Novel Reactor Design for Biodiesel Production | 2009 Progress Report | Final ReportThe 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.