SBIR Phase I: Heterogeneous Catalysts for Biodiesel Production in Microreactors

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目建议开发用于微反应器的高活性多相催化剂涂层，以减少生物柴油的生产和环境成本。这一努力将提高生物柴油的经济竞争力，减少我们对外国石油的依赖。传统的生物柴油生产使用均相催化剂，原料、中和和分离成本较高，并且倾向于使用价格昂贵的植物油等低游离脂肪酸(FFA)原料。不受欢迎的FFA反应会产生肥皂和水，使产品清理变得复杂。多相催化剂避免了这些问题，但由于活性低、稳定性差和反应器设计低效，其用途有限。催化微反应器的发展将通过改进传质和催化剂位置利用率、无废物以及执行酯和酯交换反应的能力来避免这些问题。催化微反应器将增加原料的灵活性，降低运营和资本成本，减少设施占地，减少对环境的影响，并简化放大。这些特性将使当地市场能够使用更广泛的原料品种，从而产生可持续的业务。第一阶段的工作将证明生产生物柴油的高效多相催化微反应器的可行性。在第二阶段计划期间，将开发一个微型反应器生物柴油生产系统的原型。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将在几个领域体现出来，包括提高绿色可再生燃料的成本竞争力，降低生产生物柴油的环境影响，以及减少我们对外国石油的依赖。由于石油燃料的高成本、生物柴油质量和供应的改善、生物柴油与当前发动机技术的兼容性、公众对开发更可持续的碳中性能源供应的情绪以及对全球变暖和碳足迹的担忧，商业接受度正在上升。各国政府的回应是通过立法减少对外国石油的依赖，包括税收优惠、对生物柴油生产的补贴、石油替代任务和促进绿色燃料。基于催化微反应器的生物柴油生产系统将比目前的商业工艺提供独特的竞争优势。这些优势包括：(1)提高了反应器效率；(2)降低了操作和资本成本；(3)消除了工艺步骤；(4)减少了分离和环境净化要求；(5)与成本较低的动物脂肪和劣质植物油兼容；(6)设施占地面积更小；(7)产生的废水更少；(8)与更靠近原料和客户的生产设施的兼容性增强；以及(9)大大简化了扩大规模，以满足市场需求。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project proposes to develop highly active heterogeneous catalyst coatings for microreactors to reduce biodiesel production and environmental costs. This effort will improve biodiesel's economic competitiveness and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Conventional biodiesel production utilizes homogeneous catalysts with high material, neutralization, and separation costs, and which favor using low free fatty acid (FFA) feedstock such as costly vegetable oils. Undesirable FFA reactions generate soaps and water, complicating product cleanup. Heterogeneous catalysts avoid these problems, but have seen limited usage due to low activity, poor stability, and inefficient reactor designs. The development of catalytic microreactors will avoid these problems through improved mass transfer and catalyst site utilization, the absence of waste, and the ability to perform both esterification and transesterification reactions. Catalytic microreactors will increase feedstock flexibility, lower operating and capital costs, reduce facility footprint, decrease environmental impact, and simplify scale-up. These attributes will enable the use of wider feedstock varieties in local markets, resulting in sustainable businesses. The Phase I effort will demonstrate the feasibility of highly efficient heterogeneous catalytic microreactors for biodiesel production. A prototype microreactor biodiesel production system will be developed during the Phase II program.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will manifest itself in several areas including improved cost competitiveness for a green, renewable fuel, lower environmental impact to produce biodiesel, and the reduction of our dependence on foreign oil. Commercial acceptance is growing due to the high cost of petroleum-based fuels, improved quality and supply of biodiesel, compatibility of biodiesel with current engine technology, public sentiment to develop more sustainable carbon-neutral energy supplies, and concerns over global warming and carbon footprint. Governments have responded by passing legislation to reduce dependence on foreign petroleum, including tax incentives, subsidies for biodiesel production, mandates for petroleum replacement, and promotion of green fuels. Catalytic microreactor-based biodiesel production systems will provide distinctive competitive advantages over current commercial processes. These advantages include: (1) improved reactor efficiency; (2) lower operating and capital costs; (3) elimination of process steps; (4) reduction of separation and environmental clean-up requirements; (5) compatibility with lower cost animal fats and off-grade vegetable oils; (6) smaller facility footprint; (7) generation of less wastewater; (8) increased compatibility with production facilities closer to feedstocks and customers; and (9) greatly simplified scale-up to meet market demands.