Process for producing biodiesel fuel using triglyceride-rich oleagineous seed directly in a transesterification reaction in the presence of an alkaline alkoxide catalyst
AssigneePetroleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras
InventorsCarlos Nagib Khalil, Lúcia Cristina Ferreira Leite
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Abstract
An integrated process is described for producing biodiesel from oleaginous seeds, preferably castor bean seeds. The inventive process includes a transesterification reaction where the seeds themselves react with anhydrous ethyl alcohol in the presence of an alkaline catalyst. The resulting ethyl esters are then separated by decantation and neutralized and used as fuel for diesel engines, co-solvents for diesel and gasoline mixtures with anhydrous or hydrated ethyl alcohol. The solid fractions may be used as fertilizers, for feeding cattle and as a raw material for producing ethyl alcohol.
Claims12
A process for producing biodiesel fuel using triglyceride-rich oleaginous seed directly in a transesterification reaction in the presence of an alkaline alkoxide catalyst, wherein the process comprises the following steps:
- a) sieving and drying triglyceride-rich oleaginous seed;
- b) directly adding the oleaginous seed of step a) to a reactor;
- c) providing an anhydrous alkyl alcohol and adding the anhydrous alkyl alcohol to the oleaginous seed in the reactor of step b), wherein the amount of oleaginous seed to anhydrous alkyl alcohol is from 4:1 to 0.5:1 , based on the amount of oil contained in the seed of step b);
- d) comminuting in the reactor the oleaginous seed and anhydrous alkyl alcohol of step c) at ambient temperature, so as to obtain a homogenous suspension;
- e) adding an alkaline alkoxide catalyst to the homogenous suspension obtained in step d), wherein the amount of catalyst added is from 0.1 to 5 wt % based on the weight of oleaginous seed, and allowing the transesterification reaction to occur for 30 to 90 minutes at temperatures between 30 and 78° C., so as to obtain a reaction mass comprising alkyl ester products at a 98–100% conversion rate;
- f) filtering the reaction mass obtained in step e), so as to obtain a liquid phase and a solid phase, wherein the liquid phase comprises the alkyl ester products obtained in step e);
- g) distilling the liquid phase obtained in step f), so as to recover an excess amount of alcohol to be recycled in step c) and a remaining phase;
- h) decanting the remaining phase obtained in step g), so as to obtain glycerin and an alkyl esters phase, wherein the alkyl esters phase comprises the alkyl ester products obtained in step e);
- and
- i) neutralizing the alkyl esters phase obtained in step h) so as to obtain neutralized alkyl esters recovered as biodiesel fuel;
- wherein the triglyceride-rich oleaginous seed is not subjected to an oil-extraction step prior to the transesterification reaction of step (e).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.