Heterogeneous Catalyst and Process for the Production of Biodiesel from High Free-Fatty Acid-Containing Feedstocks

摘要

We will present research describing our newly developed polymeric catalyst technology which enables the production of biodiesel from feedstocks containing high levels (> I wt %) of free fatty acids (FFAs). Current biodiesel manufacture via alkali-catalyzed transesterification of an oil or fat is now limited by both cost and availability of refined feedstocks. While non-refined feed stocks, such as crude palm oil, rendered animal fat, and yellow and brown greases, are inexpensive and readily available, the high FFA contents of these feedstocks limits their use since the acids unfavorably react with the base catalysts employed in,transesterification. Because of this, conventional biodiesel technology typically limits feedstock FFA to < 0. I wt%. We will present our work using a novel polymer catalyst for esterifying the FFA present in greases (1-100 wt %) to their corresponding methyl esters in quantitative yields. The resulting ester-oil stream can then be readily converted to biodiesel by basecatalyzed transesterification. The novel catalyst overcomes the drawbacks of traditional catalysts such as limited catalyst life time, slow reaction rates, and low conversions. We will also discuss the chemistry of catalyst functionality, and how these properties relate to improved catalytic activity, reaction rates, kinetics, and mechanisms. We will also describe a continuous process with reactor design optimized for conversion, longevity, ease of use, and economic impact.