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US 2010/0063309 A1Published application
Biodiesel processes in the presence of free fatty acids and biodiesel producer compositions
AssigneeBest Energies, Inc.
InventorsDonald Leroy Bunning, Louis A. Kapicak, Thomas Arthur Maliszewski, David James Schreck
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Abstract
Glyceride-containing feed for a base catalyzed transesterification with lower alkanol to make biodiesel is pretreated with glycerin separated during the transesterification to partially convert glycerides with lower alkanol contained in the separated glycerin using base catalyst in the separated glycerin while reducing the free fatty acid and phosphorus compound concentrations in the glyceride-containing feed. Unique producer compositions are provided by the pretreatment processes.
Claims25
A processes for making fatty acid esters from glyceride-containing feed containing free fatty acid and phosphorus-containing species comprising:
- a. transesterifying a pretreated glyceride feed with lower alkanol under transesterification conditions including the presence of base catalyst to provide a transesterification menstruum comprising a transesterification oil phase containing fatty acid ester and a transesterification glycerin phase containing unreacted lower alkanol and base catalyst;
- b. phase separating from said transesterification menstruum the transesterification oil phase and the transesterification glycerin phase;
- c. contacting at least a portion of the transesterification glycerin phase from step (b) with glyceride containing feed to provide menstruum comprising a pretreatment oil phase containing glycerides and a pretreatment glycerin phase, said contacting being for a time and at a temperature and in the presence of base catalyst sufficient to (i) react at least about 20 mass percent of the alkanol with glycerides to provide fatty acid ester, (ii) convert free fatty acids to soaps (iii) and convert phosphorus-containing species to phosphorus compounds soluble in glycerin;
- and
- d. phase separating the menstruum to provide a pretreated glyceride feed containing glyceride and lower alkanol and having a reduced concentration of free fatty acids and a reduced concentration of phosphorus-containing species, and a spent glycerin-containing phase containing soaps and phosphorus compounds and having a reduced concentration of alkanol.
2 more elements
A processes for making fatty acid esters from glyceride-containing feed containing free fatty acid and phosphorus-containing species comprising:
- a. acid treating said glyceride-containing feed in the presence of lower alkanol to at least one of (i) reduce phosphorus compound content of the feed and (ii) reduce free fatty acid of the feed by converting free fatty acid to fatty acid ester to provide an acid reaction product containing glycerides, fatty acid esters of said alkanol, and a reduced concentration of free fatty acids;
- b. phase separating an oil phase containing glycerides fatty acid esters and free fatty acids from a water-containing phase that further contains phosphorus compounds;
- c. contacting at least a glycerin stream containing at least about 20 mass percent lower alkanol and base catalyst with the oil phase from step (b) to provide a transesterification menstruum comprising a pretreatment oil phase containing glycerides and a pretreatment glycerin phase, said contacting being for a time and at a temperature and in the presence of base catalyst sufficient to (i) react at least about 20 mass percent of the alkanol with glycerides to provide fatty acid ester, (ii) convert free fatty acids to soaps (iii) and convert phosphorus-containing species to phosphorus compounds soluble in glycerin;
- and
- d. phase separating the menstruum to provide a pretreated glyceride feed containing glyceride and lower alkanol and having a reduced concentration of free fatty acids and a reduced concentration of phosphorus-containing species, and a spent glycerin-containing phase containing soaps and phosphorus compounds and having a reduced concentration of alkanol;
- and
- e. transesterifying at least a portion of the pretreated glyceride feed with lower alkanol under transesterification conditions including the presence of base catalyst to provide a transesterification product comprising fatty acid ester and glycerin, said product containing unreacted lower alkanol and base catalyst;
- f. phase separating from said transesterification product an oil phase comprising fatty acid ester and a glycerin stream containing lower alkanol and base catalyst;
- and
- g. passing at least a portion of the glycerin stream from step (f) to step (c).
7 more elements
A producer composition comprising:
- a. between about 20 and 70 mass percent triglyceride;
- b. between about 10 and 25 mass percent total mono- and di-glycerides;
- c. between about 20 and 50 mass percent fatty ester of lower alkanol;
- d. between about 0.5 and 5 mass percent lower alkanol;
- e. less than about 0.1 mass percent free fatty acid;
- g. less than about 0.1 mass percent water;
- and
- h. less than about 30 ppm-m phosphorus compound (calculated as elemental phosphorus).
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.