STTR PHASE I: Ultra-High Efficiency Biodiesel Manufacturing

这项小型企业技术转移第一阶段项目研究旨在改变化学反应需要机械混合的范式。创新的纤维反应器（FR）在化学和生化制造效率方面提供了100倍的变化，同时消除了分散。本研究的重点是生物柴油的酯交换和酯化反应。生物柴油工厂通过许多反应器和离心机将脂肪/油转化为生物柴油。这种复杂性的需要是由于油和甲醇之间的传质差，反应速率差，以及由于副产品肥皂而导致的相分离差。FR将改善传质，消除肥皂分散，从而降低生物柴油的成本。该项目将展示使用高通量、连续静态反应器和洗涤装置在生物柴油生产中节能和工艺强化的可行性。这项研究的广泛影响将包括适用于其他化学反应的共价反应堆技术的进步，改善消费者经济，减少环境污染，减少温室气体，并改善国家的燃料安全。商业纤维反应器技术将适用于制药和特种化学品制造，并将为这些行业提供类似的好处。该项目将影响生产成本，从而可能实现更具成本效益的能源生产。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project research seeks to change the paradigm that chemical reactions need mechanical mixing. Innovative Fiber Reactors (FR) offer a 100X change in efficiency of chemical and biochemical manufacturing while eliminating dispersions. This research focuses on biodiesel transesterification and esterification reactions. Biodiesel plants convert fats/oils to biodiesel with many reactors and centrifuges. The need for this complexity is due to poor mass transfer between oil and methanol, poor reaction rates, and poor phase separation due to the by-product soaps. The FR will improve mass transfer and eliminate soap dispersion to thereby reduce the cost of biodiesel. This project will demonstrate feasibility of energy savings and process intensification in biodiesel manufacturing using a high-throughput, continuous static reactor and wash. The broader impacts of this research will include advances in covalent reactor technology applicable to other chemical reactions, improved consumer economics, reduced environmental pollution, reduced greenhouse gases, and improved fuel security for the Nation. Commercial fiber reactor technology would be applicable to pharmaceutical and specialty chemical manufacturing and would provide similar benefits to those industries. This project will impact the production costs to potentially enable more cost effective energy production.