Process technology company Inventure Renewables and process equipment supplier CPM|Crown have partnered to offer biodiesel producers a technology that can convert a wider range of feedstocks without additional catalysts or enzymes, Oils & Fats International reported .
The partnership combines Inventure’s SimplEster esterification technology with CPM|Crown’s sodium methylate systems. CPM|Crown will offer SimplEster as an add-on to its existing systems, allowing biodiesel plants to increase capacity and process lower-quality or lower-carbon feedstocks without replacing their current equipment.
A commercial-scale installation is already operating at Western Iowa Energy’s 45-million-gallon-a-year biodiesel plant in Wall Lake, Iowa. The plant has produced biodiesel since 2006 using feedstocks including distillers’ corn oil, used cooking oil, animal fats, waste oils and greases and vegetable oils.
At the facility, the SimplEster system was integrated into the existing sodium methylate process without replacing the equipment. The companies said the addition increased plant capacity by about 15% while producing biodiesel that met required specifications.
The technology does not require additional catalyst or enzymes, which the companies said can reduce two major operating and maintenance costs in biodiesel production.
The system can produce biodiesel with an acid value below 0.5 mg KOH/g and can be adjusted to achieve levels as low as 0.2 mg KOH/g, depending on the plant, feedstock and fuel requirements.
The system also allows free fatty acids to be converted into biodiesel within the plant rather than being sold as a separate product.
Inventure and Western Iowa Energy are evaluating other material streams for processing through the SimplEster unit, including black esters recovered from the glycerol recycling system.
The companies said the technology could be used with a range of feedstocks, including used cooking oil, tallow, distillers’ corn oil and poultry fat.
CPM Holdings supplies equipment and process technologies for industries including animal feed, food, renewable energy, advanced materials and sustainable packaging. Its Crown brand specialises in oilseed processing and renewable fuel technologies.Inventure Renewables develops process technologies for the oleochemical and biofuel industries.
