http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/257823/viesel-develops-continuous-enzymatic-biodiesel-process
Viesel develops continuous enzymatic biodiesel process
By Brent Chrabas | December 09, 2014
In collaboration with Tactical Fabrication of Dublin, Georgia, and
Novozymes of Denmark, a novel biodiesel production technology developed
by Viesel Skunk Works LLC will soon be offered commercially. The
innovative system features a continuous flow enzymatic reaction process
that also eliminates sulfur from biodiesel when low-grade feedstocks
such as brown grease are used. Today, the dominant method of producing
biodiesel is through batch reactions, which can be considered inferior
due to lower productivity, larger variation in product quality, and more
intensive labor and energy requirements.
The development of continuous reactors for biodiesel production using
enzymatic catalyst has been discussed for a long time, yet there is no
saleable biodiesel produced from commercial biodiesel plants with a
continuous enzymatic reactor. Most importantly, reducing the sulfur to
15 ppm in biodiesel when the feedstock contains up to 10,000 ppm of
sulfur compounds is currently one of the biggest technological
challenges for biodiesel producers.
The patent-pending technology Viesel Skunk Works LLC developed is a
design of several continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs). In this
system, only a very low dosage of the liquid Novozymes enzymatic
catalyst needs to be added to the reactor. It provides for a very
complete reaction with the potential of using fewer enzymes than in
single-step batch systems. Moreover, this is the most economical process
of biodiesel production in the industry producing a 99 percent
conversion yield with any kind of low-grade feedstocks, such as waste
cooking oil, animal fats, brown grease and more. The initial investment
is materially lower than other conventional methods and the fully
automated process guarantees production of low-cost biodiesel.
The benefits of using the Viesel Skunk Works continuous enzymatic
process for biodiesel production are as follows.
Simpler Design
Several simple CSTRs and skid-mounted injection pumps are the main
components of the continuous system. Each CSTR can be easily switched to
batch operation mode in the case of accidental interruption of the
continuous mode. Intensive caustic washing in the current enzymatic
process for free fatty acid removal is overcome by using simple resin
columns, which fully convert FFAs to corresponding esters. The problem
of sulfur contamination by the low-grade feedstock was solved by
introducing a new, simple, patent-pending distillation system to remove
the sulfur compounds from the final biodiesel product. Furthermore, this
continuous enzymatic process can be outfitted with automated in-line
analysis systems, which allow biodiesel quality to be assured in real time.
Faster Production
The Viesel Skunk Works continuous process is stable, with maximum
biodiesel productivity approximately five times faster than the
conventional batch process. The process can be brought up to any rate of
production rapidly by automatically adjusting flow rates and quantities
of reagents needed while targeting the requisite enzyme dosage using the
online digital control system. Product meeting specifications set forth
by ASTM D6751 can be obtained in a shorter time due an advanced mixing
process.
Lower Capital Investment
Moderate reaction conditions, more efficient mixing technology and
smaller plant footprint guarantee a much lower capital investment in the
continuous enzymatic process. Furthermore, in contrast to utilizing a
high-cost immobilized enzyme, which may perish with mishandling,
flexibility in acquiring liquid phase, homogeneous, single-use enzymes
as needed is extended to operators of this process. The technical
challenge of reducing sulfur levels from up to 1,000 ppm in biodiesel to
a maximum of 15 ppm to meet strict ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD)
requirements was also resolved by the Viesel Skunk Works team by
offering a modular component capable of sulfur separation. This final
component to the continuous enzymatic process makes the production of
high-quality biodiesel perfectly continuous without requiring any
expensive hydrodesulphurization processes or intermittent addition of
hazardous organic solvents or additives in the process when using cheap,
high-FFA feedstocks.
Low-cost Production
The largest benefit of using the Viesel Skunk Works continuous enzymatic
process is being able to adapt its use to a variety of low-cost,
high-FFA, cheap feedstocks such as brown grease. Feedstock costs are
recognized as the highest variable cost in the production of biodiesel
accounting for up to 80 percent of the material costs associated with
making a gallon of biodiesel. This process allows the use of materials
that may be as much as 50 percent cheaper than conventional feedstocks,
which have limited use in traditional biodiesel processes.
The revolutionary continuous enzymatic process being demonstrated by
Viesel Skunk Works LLC at its world headquarters in Stuart, Florida, has
been progressively designed to streamline production with reduced
start-up costs. Its processing capabilities that make use of cheap
feedstocks not ordinarily available for traditional biodiesel processes
afford plant operators the ability to better manage production costs.
The culmination of research efforts embodied by the Viesel Skunk Works
Continuous Enzymatic Process make certain that biodiesel will persevere
as a low-cost alternative to its petroleum counterpart amid any market
conditions.
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