I-Corps: Modular Biodiesel Production with Glycerol Recycle

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力可以改变废植物油工业，并影响其他生物燃料的市场。 创新的方法来自于使用模块化设计和新颖的超临界处理技术，利用增值的副产品回收。 这项技术使加工设施更接近消费者，并在农村社区创造当地就业机会，从而改善农村经济活动，从而提高了利润率。 这项技术的商业潜力可以改变废弃植物油在美国和世界各地的使用、提炼和加工方式。 由于能源安全、农村经济增长和可持续能源生产，这些市场对联邦和州政府具有重大意义。 该技术的商业影响影响其他生物燃料市场。该I-Corps项目将探索可移动微型生物炼油厂（TmBR）的市场潜力，该炼油厂将废弃植物油（WVO）转化为生物柴油，并使用新型的两级分离反应器。 从WVO生成生物柴油通常使用碱催化低压工艺（称为脂肪酸甲酯（FAME）工艺）来完成。 集中式生物炼油厂生产的生物柴油与价格低廉的石油柴油相比没有竞争力。 资本成本、原料供应成本和处理工艺废物的环境成本使得集中式炼油厂不经济。 相比之下，TmBR工艺使用先进的超临界分离反应器，无需催化剂，以减少工艺废物和运营成本。 此外，TmBR工艺还包括一个生物转化器，将废甘油转化为甲醇，甲醇可再循环，以减少对纯化和处置废甘油的需求。 TmBR工艺需要更小的操作占地面积，涉及更低的资本成本和更低的操作成本，并且具有更小的环境影响，这使得该技术与基于标准FAME的生物柴油工厂相比更具经济竞争力。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project can transform the waste vegetable oil industry and influence the markets of other biofuels. The innovative method comes from using a modular design with novel supercritical processing technology that utilizes value added by-product recycle. This technology improves profitability by bringing processing facilities closer to the consumer and creating local jobs in rural communities, thus improving rural economic activity. The commercial potential of this technology can transform how waste vegetable oil is used, rendered, and processed in the United States and around the world. These marketplaces are of significant interest to the federal and state governments because of energy security, rural economic growth and sustainable energy production. Commercial impacts of this technology influence other biofuels markets.This I-Corps project will explore the market potential of a Transportable Micro Bio Refinery (TmBR) that converts waste vegetable oil (WVO) into biodiesel to using a novel 2-stage Separative-reactor. Generating biodiesel from WVO is commonly done using a Base-Catalyzed Low-Pressure process referred to as the Fatty-Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) process. Bio-diesel produced in centralized bio-refineries are not competitive with petro-diesel with low priced crude. Capital costs, feedstock supply costs, and environmental costs to dispose of process waste make centralized refineries uneconomically. By comparison, the TmBR process uses an advanced super-critical separative reactor without a catalyst to reduce process waste and operating costs. In addition, the TmBR process includes a bio-digestor to convert waste glycerol to methanol which is recycled to reduce the need to purify and dispose of waste glycerol. The TmBR process requires a smaller operating footprint, involves lower capital costs and reduced operating costs and has less environmental impact that makes this technology more economically competitive compared to standard FAME based biodiesel plants.