http://gulftoday.ae/portal/4dd11250-0fb5-43a9-bf27-7d84bb45dd89.aspx
Masdar Institute develops novel biodiesel chemical reactor
August 31, 2016
ABU DHABI: A team of researchers from the Masdar Institute of Science
and Technology, in collaboration with Tadweer-Abu Dhabi’s Centre of
Waste Management, are testing an integrated chemical reactor they have
designed to produce high-quality biodiesel from fats, including waste
cooking oil, in less time and with less energy and potentially lower
cost than traditional biodiesel reactors.
Masdar Institute’s Dr Isam Janajreh, Associate Professor of Mechanical
and Materials Engineering, heads the Tadweer-sponsored project that also
includes Mohammed Hussain, a student completing his MSc in Mechanical
Engineering, and Masdar Institute MSc alumna Tala El Samad.
The biodiesel reactor developed by the Masdar Institute team integrates
mixing by soundwave agitation, flow mixing by a static mixer, and
separation, recovery, and purification for efficient conversion of waste
cooking oil into its two main components — biodiesel and glycerol. This
process yields much less of the unwanted glycerol and more biodiesel
than the high-power mixing method employed by previous reactors and
conventional industrial methods.
"The ultrasound method makes biodiesel quickly in a continuous process.
Our reactor can produce just as much biodiesel as the large conventional
chemical reactors, but at a much smaller spatial footprint," Hussain
explained.
Hussain and El Samad co-authored two papers on the optimised biodiesel
reactor that were published in the journal of Applied Energy and the
International Journal of Thermal & Environmental Engineering, along with
three papers that were presented at international conferences.
The biodiesel reactor can produce 50 litres of biodiesel per hour
continuously, while a typical industrial-sized reactor may produce 500
litres every 10 hours in a batch process, which is a slower type of
manufacturing process that produces products in groups instead of in a
continuous flow. Although the production quantities possible are
similar, the Masdar Institute reactor has a much smaller physical
footprint (occupying 85 per cent less area than conventional reactors)
and very importantly can produce a high quality biodiesel.
"We determined the biodiesel’s quality by running it through qualitative
tests, then followed with engine performance testing. We found that the
biodiesel produced by our reactor generated less soot, nitric oxide,
carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide when compared to the biofuel produced
by conventional reactors and petroleum-derived diesel with no
compromises in power," Dr Janajreh said.
Because of the reactor’s small and compact size, the production capacity
is suitable for a large number of organisations that have an interest in
sustainable waste transformation. Furthermore, volume can be easily
scaled up by linking several reactors together in series to produce the
desired quantity of biodiesel.
"Maintaining the size and compactness of the reactor is important, as
smaller reactors find more applications," Dr Janajreh explained.
"This reactor is also fit to convert algal oil, non-edible vegetable oil
and tallow from meat processing facilities. We have a far-sighted vision
of this innovative reactor where it finds significant international
applications," he added.
Biodiesel is a renewable, non-toxic and biodegradable fuel that does not
contain sulphur or related compounds that have negative environmental
and health impacts. That is why biodiesel has been targeted to play a
role in reducing carbon emissions worldwide. The potential of biodiesel
for the UAE is particularly good given that the country produces an
estimated 20 litres of waste cooking oil per person per year that could
be transformed into biodiesel.
Currently, the Masdar Institute team is leveraging their novel chemical
reactor to convert the waste cooking oil collected through a community
initiative in Abu Dhabi’s Al Raha Gardens into biodiesel.
The next step for Hussain and Dr Janajreh is to expand their waste
cooking oil collection efforts to other communities across Abu Dhabi.
Such efforts, the research team believes, could be pivotal in helping
the UAE achieve its sustainable energy goals.
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