Production of biodiesel from triglycerides via a thermal route
First Claim
1. A method of producing biodiesel from a triglyceride feedstock, the method comprising:
- a. pretreating the triglyceride feedstock by thermal cracking to remove contaminants and convert triglycerides to form a middle distillate fraction rich in free fatty acids;
b. esterifying the middle distillate fraction in the presence of an alcohol and a catalyst to produce a biodiesel stream;
c. treating the biodiesel stream with a basic solution to convert unesterified free fatty acids to non-foaming metallic soaps; and
d. removing the non-foaming metallic soaps by centrifugation, filtering or a combination thereof.
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Abstract
A method is presented for producing biodiesel from a triglyceride feedstock. The feedstock is first thermally cracked to remove contaminants and convert triglycerides to form a middle distillate fraction rich in fatty acids. The middle distillate fraction is then esterified the in the presence of an alcohol and a catalyst to produce a biodiesel stream. The biodiesel stream can be treated with a basic solution to convert unesterified free fatty acids to non-foaming metallic soaps, which can be removed by centrifugation, filtering or a combination thereof. A method is also provided for producing a biodiesel/naphtha mixture, in which a triglyceride feedstock is thermally cracked to produce a middle distillate fraction, a naphtha stream and a gas stream. The naphtha stream and the middle distillate fraction are then esterified to produce a mixed biodiesel/naphtha stream, which can be treated with a basic solution to convert unesterified free fatty acids to non-foaming metallic soaps. The basic salts are removed by known means.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method of producing biodiesel from a triglyceride feedstock, the method comprising:
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a. pretreating the triglyceride feedstock by thermal cracking to remove contaminants and convert triglycerides to form a middle distillate fraction rich in free fatty acids;
b. esterifying the middle distillate fraction in the presence of an alcohol and a catalyst to produce a biodiesel stream;
c. treating the biodiesel stream with a basic solution to convert unesterified free fatty acids to non-foaming metallic soaps; and
d. removing the non-foaming metallic soaps by centrifugation, filtering or a combination thereof. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of producing a biodiesel/naphtha mixture from a triglyceride feedstock, the method comprising:
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a. pretreating the triglyceride feedstock by thermal cracking to remove contaminants and convert triglycerides to produce a middle distillate fraction rich in free fatty acids, a naphtha stream and a gas stream;
b. esterifying the naphtha stream and middle distillate fraction in the presence of an alcohol and a catalyst to produce a mixed biodiesel/naphtha stream;
c. treating the mixed biodiesel/naphtha stream with a basic solution to convert unesterified free fatty acids to non-foaming metallic soaps; and
d. removing the non-foaming metallic soaps by centrifugation, filtering or a combination thereof.
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Specification