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Biodiesel Production from Algae Oil
From Oilgae.com Oil from Algae (So whats the Oilgae story?)
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Nature gave us oil from algae; perhaps we should try Natures way again
You are at: Oilgae Home > About Algae > Algae Oil > Biodiesel from Algae Oil > Algal Biodiesel Production
Oilgae Highlights
Notes:
See also: For all aspects of Biodiesel production, uses, research and case studies, please refer to our Biodiesel Section @ Oilgae Energy Portal
! Are you an inventor or equipment producer for fuel from algae, or part of a company that is involved in the algal fuel efforts? Please see this section in order that you can help us list your company or efforts @ Oilgae
Biodiesel Production from Algae Oil
The major problem associated with the use of pure vegetable oils as well as oil from algea as fuels for diesel engines is caused by high fuel viscosity (Viscosity from Physics Hypertextbook) in compression ignition. Algal oil, as well as vegetable oils, are all highly viscous, with viscosities ranging 1020 times those of no. 2 Diesel fuel. Amongst vegetable oils in the context of viscosity, castor oil is in a class by itself, with a viscosity more than 100 times that of no. 2 Diesel fuel (MSDS of No.2 Diesel Fuel PetroCard). Due to their high viscosity and low volatility, they do not burn completely and form deposits in the fuel injector of diesel engines. Furthermore, acrolein (a highly toxic substance) ( Acrolein from EPA) is formed through thermal decomposition of glycerol (Glycerol from Info Please).
Dilution, micro-emulsification (Emulsions & Emulsification from Wikipedia), pyrolysis ( Pyrolysis Definition from AFR) and transesterification are the four techniques applied to solve the problems encountered with the high fuel viscosity. Amongst the four techniques, chemical conversion of the oil to its corresponding fatty ester is the most promising solution to the high viscosity problem. This process - chemical conversion of the oil to its corresponding fatty ester, and thus biodiesel - is called transesterification.
What is transesterification?
· The process of converting vegetable & plant oils into biodiesel fuel is called transesterification, and is fortunately much less complex than it sounds.
· Transesterification refers to a reaction between an ester (Ester from Wikipedia) of one alcohol and a second alcohol to form an ester of the second alcohol and an alcohol from the original ester, as that of methyl acetate and ethyl alcohol to form ethyl acetate and methyl alcohol ( see also interesterification Interesterification from Cyber Lipid) . Chemically, transesterification means taking a triglyceride molecule or a complex fatty acid, neutralizing the free fatty acids, removing the glycerin and creating an alcohol ester. This is accomplished by mixing methanol with sodium hydroxide to make sodium methoxide (Sodium Methoxide from Great Vista Chemicals, Sodium Methoxide MSDS JT Baker) . This liquid is then mixed into vegetable oil. The entire mixture then settles. Glycerin is left on the bottom and methyl esters, or biodiesel, is left on top. The glycerin can be used to make soap (or any one of 1600 other products) and the methyl esters is washed and filtered.
· Transesterification is not a new process. Scientists E. Duy and J. Patrick conducted it as early as 1853. One of the first uses of transesterified vegetable oil was powering heavy-duty vehicles in South Africa before World War II.
Transesterification of Algal Oil into Biodiesel
Transesterification of algal oil is normally done with ethanol and sodium ethanolate serving as the catalyst. Sodium ethanolate can be produced by reacting ethanol with sodium.
Thus, with sodium ethanolate as the catalyst, ethanol is reacted with the algal oil ( the triglyceride) to produce bio-diesel & glycerol. The end products of this reaction are hence biodiesel, sodium ethanolate and glycerol.
This end-mixture is separated as follows: Ether and salt water are added to the mixture and mixed well. After sometime, the entire mixture would have separated into two layers, with the bottom layer containing a mixture of ether and biodiesel. This layer is separated.
Biodiesel is in turn separated from ether by a vaporizer under a high vacuum. As the ether vaporizes first, the biodiesel will remain. The biodiesel from algae is now ready for use!
Centrifuges
A centrifuge is a useful device for both biolipid extraction from algae and chemical separation in biodiesel. Centrifuge Applications
There are several steps in the biodiesel production process where centrifugation is useful.
· Feedstock preparation - In this case, algae must first be separated from its medium, then the oil extracted from the algae. · Separation of transesterification products Biodiesel and glycerine must be separated, and any leftover reactants removed. · Water wash Biodiesel can be washed of soap and glycerine using a centrifuge. · Magnasol solids removal - As an alternative to water washing, it may be possible to wash the biodiesel in Magnasol. The parameters to be considered while evaluating the ideal algae processor are:
· Capacity/throughput of the system · Speed/density
More articles & news on Biodiesel production from algae: Visitors may kindly have a look at the Oilgae Blog Directory for relevant blog articles.
More Links on Transesterification
Biodiesel Manufacturing Equipment
· Biodiesel Equipment, Kits Directory from Eco Business Links · Biodiesel Gear Biodiesel Equipments, Processing & Related Information · Biodiesel Production Equipment & Plants from BioKing ( see also: Algae Biodiesel Plant from BioKing @ AlgaeFuels)
· Testing · Biodiesel Fuel Testing from Intertek Caleb Brett
Other Methods of Producing Bio-diesel from Algal Oil
Other than transesterification, the other methods that have been considered to reduce the high viscosity of vegetable oils/algal oil are:
· dilution of 25 parts of plant/algal oil with 75 parts of diesel fuel · microemulsions with short chain alcohols (e.g. ethanol or methanol) · thermal decomposition, which produces alkanes, alkenes, carboxylic acids and aromatic compounds · catalytic cracking, which produces alkanes, cycloalkanes and alkylbenzenes
However, when compared with the above, the transesterification process appears to be the best choice, as the physical characteristics of fatty acid esters (biodiesel) are very close to those of diesel fuel, and the process is relatively simple. Furthermore, the methyl or ethyl esters of fatty acids can be burned directly in unmodified diesel engines, with very low deposit
More Bio-diesel Production Links
The following web sites provide more inputs on the various methods to produce bio-diesel, including the transesterification process. The links are not specific to algal oil but are generally applicable to all plant and vegetable oils, including algal oils.
· Biodiesel Production Methods from Distribution Drive · Biodiesel Analytical Methods from National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA (PDF) · Chemical Biodiesel Microreactor · How to Make Biodiesel SchNew, UK · Advanced Biodiesel Production Methods Forums from Biodiesel Now · Biodiesel Production Resources from Wikipedia · Biodiesel Production Methods & Costs · An Improved Method for the Production of Ethyl Ester Biodiesel · Making Biodiesel from Utah Biodiesel · Publications of Thomas Foglia, Agricultural Research Service, USDA · Tiny Microreactor for Biodiesel Production University of Oregon · Better Biodiesel New Biodiesel Production Technology · New Technologies for Making Biofuels · Development of Biodiesel by Supercritical Methanol (PDF) · Potential Production of Biodiesel from University of Idaho (PDF) · Small-scale Biodiesel Production from Energy Line 2000 · Making Biodiesel from Biodiesel Update · Research into Biodiesel Kinetics & Catalyst Development (PDF) · Biodiesel Basics (PDF) · Biodiesel Production Process · Biodiesel Production Info from Biodiesel.org (PDF) · Breakthrough in Biodiesel Production by Japanese Scientists · Collaborative Biodiesel Production Tutorial · Biodiesel Production Technology, NREL.gov (PDF) · Small-scale Biodiesel Production Feaibility Report, Uiuc.edu (PDF) · Biodiesel Handling & Use Guidelines (PDF) · Biodiesel Production Research Abstracts · Veg Conversion of Diesel Engine for SVO · Validation of a Model for Biodiesel Production · The Biodiesel Chemical Make-up from Wikipedia · Biodiesel Chemical Info Page from Biodiesel Gear · A Visual Guide to Titraiton from Flexistentialist.org · Transesterification & Biodiesel Production
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