Lurgi
         From Crops to Fuels - Biodiesel
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            Contents                                                                  Biodiesel from
                                                                                      Renewable Resources
            Biodiesel from Renewable     Page                                         The ’Kyoto Protocol’ – which is the
            Resources                                                                 United Nations framework convent-
            ■ Advantages of Biodiesel      2+3                                        ion on climate change – requires the
            Transesterification Process                                               introduction of biofuels into the
            ■ Principle of Process                                                    transport fuel market in order to
            ■ Feedstock                                                               reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
            ■ Yields                                                                  The ’EU Biofuels Regulation’ urges
            ■ Final Products                                                          the member states to ensure the in-
            ■ Consumption figures          4+5                                        crease of the market share of bio-
            Profitability                                                             fuels in the transport fuel market
            ■ Increased Profitability by                                              from 2% in 2005 to a remarkable
              Pharmaceutical Glycerine                                                5.75% in 2010.
              Produktion                     5                                        Future shortage in petroleum supply
            Special Features of Lurgi's                                               and surging prices for petroleum
            Biodiesel Technology             6                                        based fuels will significantly increase
                                                                                      the shift towards the alternative
            Lurgi's Expertise                6                                        fuels sector.
            References                                                                Biodiesel will become a vital part of
            ■ Germany's largest                                                       our energy supply and may be used
              Biodiesel Plant                7                                        either as a fuel additive mixed in any
                                                                                      ratio with biodiesel from renewable
                                                                                      resources, a mineral diesel or as a
                                                                                      pure product. In either case fuel
                                                                                      quality requirements are critical and
                                                                                      expectations are rising.
                                                                                      Recognizing this trend at an early
                                                                                      stage Lurgi, a world-leader in the field
                                                                                      of oleochemicals,  is able to provide
                                                                                      the industry with a multi-purpose
                                                                                      technology able to process in principal
                                                                                      all vegetable and animal oils and fats.
                                                                                      Lurgi has been building biodiesel
                                                                                      (methylester) plants for over 15 years
                                                                                      and is the marketleader in designing
                                                                                      plants to meet the industrial de-mand
                                                                                      for higher capacities, improved eco-
                                                                                      nomy and better quality – total ca-
                                                                                      pacity of plants under design, con-
                                                                                      struction and operation amounts to
                                                                                      more than 1 million tons per year.
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            Advantages of Biodiesel               ■ Reduction of particulates (smoke)
                                                    emission by approx. 50%
            ■ Bio-degradable
                                                  ■ Biodiesel does not contain
            ■ Closed CO  loop                       benzene or other aromaties
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            ■ Minimum greenhouse                  ■ Higher engine efficiency and
               gas emissions                        durability
            ■ Sulfur-free                         ■ Improvement of ignition and
                                                    lubricity
            ■ Less dependance on fuels
               from mineral oils                  ■ Flash point at approx. 150°C -
                                                    petroleum diesel at approx. 70°C
            ■ Non-toxic
                                                  ■ Safest fuel to store and handle
                                     Oils & Fats                         Block Flow Diagram Biodiesel Production
                                   Oil Pretreatment
                                                                    Chemicals
               Methanol +         Transesterification          Glycerine Treatment
               Catalyst
                                       Biodiesel                G.-W.-Evaporation
                                  Washing & Drying
                                                                                            Glycerine Distillation
                                                                                                and Bleaching
                                       Biodiesel                 Crude Glycerine        Glycerine in pharmaceutical
                                     ready for use                 > 80% conc.              quality > 99.5% conc.
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             Transesterification Process
                                                                                                             Flowsheet of the process
                                         Reactor 1                     Reactor 2
                                                                                                   Transesterification
                                                                                                   Highlights of Lurgi’s Process
                  Oil
                  Methanol                                           Glycerin
                                                                    Cross-Flow                       Wash
                                                                    (Patented)                       Column      Biodiesel
                                   Methanol
                                   Recovery
                                                                                                                     Glycerine
                    Catalyst                                                Closed Wash-                             Glycerin
                                                                                                                     Water
                                                                           Closed Wash-                              Water
                                                                             water Loop                              Evaporation
                                                                             water loop                              Evaporation
                                                                           Glycerin Water
                                                                           Glycerine Water             Grude Clycerine
                                                                                                       Crude Glycerin
             Principle of Process                      Feedstock                                Final Products
             Transesterification is based on the       In principle all edible oils and fats –  ■ Biodiesel: E DIN 51606 / EN 14214
             chemical reaction of triglycerides        vegetable and animal – can be trans-     ■ Crude glycerine:
             with methanol to form methylesters        esterified; fatty acids can be ester-       British Standard 2621
             and glycerine in the presence of an       ified. For fuel-specific properties,     ■ Pharmaceutical-grade glycerine:
             alkaline catalyst. This reaction is ef-   pretreated oils from rape and sun-          EU Pharmacopoeia 99.5
             fected in a two-stage mixer-settler       flower seeds are preferred in Europe.
             unit. Transesterification takes place                                              Consumption figures
             in the mixing section, while the sub-     Pretreatment and/or esterification as    The consumption figures – without
             sequent settling section allows for       optional process steps are only re-      glycerine distillation and bleaching –
             the separation of methylesters as the     quired if the feedstock quality does     stated below are valid for the
             light phase from glycerine water as       not meet the following                   produc-tion of 1 ton of rapeseed
             the heavy phase.                          specification:                           methylester at continuous operation
                                                       FFA content             max. 0.1%        and nominal capacity.
             A subsequent countercurrent wash-         Water content           max. 0.1%        ■ Steam consumption:
             ing step for the methylester removes      Unsaporifiables         max. 0.8%                             approx. 415 kg
             minute by-product components and          Phosphorus content      max. 10 ppm      ■ Cooling water consumption:
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             gives a biodiesel “ready for use”                                                     (∆ t=10 °C)       approx. 25 m
             after the final drying step.              Yields                                   ■ Electrical energy:approx. 12 kWh
                                                       1,000 kg of dried, degummed and          ■ Methanol:          approx. 96 kg
             The surplus methanol contained in         deacidified rapeseed oil will give:      ■ Catalyst:          approx.   5 kg
             the glycerine water is removed in a       ■ Biodiesel:       approx. 1,000 kg         (Na-Methylate 100%)
             rectification column, which yields        ■ Crude glycerine:approx.    128 kg      ■ Hydrochloric acid (37%):
             methanol in a condition and purity        ■ Pharmaceutical-grade glycerine:                             approx. 10 kg
             ready for use as a recycle stream to                         approx.      93 kg    ■ Caustic soda (50%): approx. 1.5 kg
             the process. For further glycerine        ■ Technical-grade glycerine:             ■ Nitrogen:          approx. 1 Nm3
             water purification additional steps                          approx.        5 kg   ■ Process water:     approx. 20 kg
             of chemical treatment, evaporation,
             distillation and bleaching may
             follow optionally.
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