Method for producing fatty acid methyl ester and equipment for realizing the same

• US 7,045,100 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2001
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: American Renewable Fuels, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Energea Unwelttechnologie GmbH
• Inventors: Panning, Peter, Ergün, Nurhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Hien
• Assistant Examiner(s): Leung, Jennifer A.
• Application Number:
  US09/964,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20020013486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,691 Days
• Field of Search: 422187-190, 422/198, 422/211, 422/212, 422/224, 422/225, 422/228, 554/174
• US Class Current: 422/129
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/24 Stationary reactors without moving elements inside B01J19/08, B01J19/26 take precedence; with stationary particles B01J8/02
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 67/03 by reacting an ester group with a hydroxy group
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 69/52 Esters of acyclic unsaturated carboxylic acids having the esterified carboxyl group bound to an acyclic carbon atom
• CPC Class Codes: C11C 3/003 by esterification of fatty acids with alcohols C11C3/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

Method for producing fatty acid methyl ester, including compounding saturated and unsaturated higher fatty substances from at least one of vegetable and animal with an alkaline solution dissolved in alcohol to form a mixture. The method also includes emulsifying the mixture to reach a chemical balance state in a reaction section, wherein fats are transesterified into fatty acid methyl ester, wherein border surfaces of the mixture are enlarged by dynamic turbulence in the reaction section and the transesterification is performed under pressure, and wherein the pressure is reduced during transesterification. The method further includes after reaching a chemical balance state, separating residues from the fatty acid methyl ester in a phase separation section. Apparatus for producing fatty acid methyl ester.

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing fatty acid methyl ester, comprising:

at least one container for fats;

a tank for alkaline solution;

a tank for alcohol;

a mixing vessel for compounding the alkaline solution and the alcohol;

a reaction section connected to the at least one container and the mixing vessel through a high pressure pump capable of achieving a pressure of 200 bar for introducing the fats, the alkaline solution and the alcohol to the reaction section, said reaction section being structured and arranged to perform transesterification under pressure with the pressure being reduced during transesterification, said reaction section comprising a static mixer comprising a pipe filled with balls to enlarge boundary surfaces of the mixture of fats, alkaline solution and alcohol in said reaction section; and

a separation unit downstream from the reaction section.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separation unit comprises a filtration unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the filtration unit comprises a surface filter comprising a membrane.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the surface filter comprises a porous carrier and a layer applied to the porous carrier, which layer acts as a membrane.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the porous carrier comprises a pipe.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the porous carrier comprises one of aluminum oxide, porous glass, and silicate.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the layer acting as a membrane has at least one of lipophilic, hydrophilic, and amphoteric properties.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the layer acting as a membrane comprises a ceramic membrane.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the ceramic membrane comprises one of titanium dioxide and zirconium dioxide.

10. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the layer acting as a membrane has a pore size which is at least one of a nano pore size and a micro pore size.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the pore size is 5–

200 nm.

12. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the filtration unit comprises one of a molecular sieve filter and a molecular sieve membrane.

13. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the filtration unit comprises a multiphase filter.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separation unit comprises a distillation unit comprising at least one evaporator and at least one condenser.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a distillation unit comprising at least one evaporator and at least one condenser downstream from the separation unit.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a down-flow evaporator.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a thin-layer evaporator.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a rotation flow evaporator.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a distillation unit which is upstream of the separation unit.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an additional separation unit downstream from the separation unit.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the additional separation unit is connected to the reaction section by a connecting pipe from the at least one container for the fats.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a flash reactor downstream of the reaction section for evaporating surplus alcohol.