I-Corps: Customer Discovery for Trap Grease to Biodiesel Process

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛/商业影响在于将垃圾填埋场处置的脂肪、油和油脂（FOG）以低成本和环保的方式重新用作燃料。该技术的使用还将潜在地减少下水道堵塞。目前，每年大约生产40亿磅的疏油和27亿磅的废油，这些废油可能产生近5亿加仑的燃料。这对目前每年大约12亿加仑的生物柴油总产量是一个重大的补充。这项技术将大大降低商业食品加工商、餐馆和脂肪加工设施的废物处理成本。它还可以为生物柴油生产商提供低成本的原料。I-corps项目将探索无溶剂萃取方法的商业潜力，该方法可以克服脂肪、油和油脂（FOG）乳液的挑战，即下水道油脂的杂质和高水分含量。该方法不使用化学物质或溶剂对目前的生物柴油工艺。与其他竞争技术不同，需要单独的除湿过程。由于这两个优点，该工艺有望比现有工艺具有更低的能耗和更低的成本。

The broader/commercial impact of this I-Corps project lies in the diversion of fats, oils and grease (FOG) from landfill disposal to be reused as fuel in a low cost and environmentally friendly approach. The use of the technology will also potentially reduce sewer pipe blockage. Presently, approximately 4 billion pounds of trap grease and 2.7 billion pounds of used cooking oil are produced each year which can potentially yield nearly 500 million gallons of fuel. This is a significant addition to the total current biodiesel production of roughly 1,200 million gallons per year. This technology will greatly reduce waste disposal costs for commercial food processors, restaurants and fat rendering facilities. It can also offer biodiesel producers a low cost feedstock.This I-corps project will explore the commercial potential of a solvent-free extraction approach which can overcome the challenges of fats, oils and grease (FOG) emulsion, namely the impurities and high moisture content of the sewer grease. The approach does not use chemicals or solvents new to the current biodiesel process. Separate moisture removal processes are needed unlike other competing technologies. As a result of these two advantages, this process is expected to have lower energy consumption and lower costs than existing processes.