Reduction of Water Consumption in Purifying Crude Biodiesel Fuel
An emulsification/demulsification technique was applied to purify crude Bio-Diesel Fuel (BDF) for the purpose of reducing amounts of water needed. The emulsifications were achieved by adding a small amount of water to crude BDF in duplicate batch-extraction processes. The added water was emulsified by agitation with ease because of existence of potassium soaps in crude BDF. The soaps are considered to be produced through chemical reactions between potassium catalyst and free fatty acids. The demulsifications were achieved by heating the emulsions. A solubility of potassium oleate in methyl oleate was investigated. Potassium oleate and methyl oleate were used as model chemicals of potassium soaps and fatty acid methyl esters, respectively. The effects of coexistent methanol and low-molecular-weight fatty acids on the solubility of potassium oleate were studied. A distribution coefficient of potassium between aqueous phase and ester phase was examined to study the theoretical amount of water needed to purify crude BDF. Potassium is the most difficult impurity to remove among the impurities of potassium, methanol, free glycerol and water which are regulated in the several standards. The theoretical amount of water was calculated to be 1.2 volumetric ％ of crude BDF when the initial concentration of potassium in the crude BDF was 300 mg/kg. From the above results, batch reactors which can produce purified BDF from waste vegetable oils were constructed. The reactor volumes were 40 L and more, and the total amount of water needed to obtain purified BDF was 3.0 volumetric ％. The reactor can successfully produce purified BDF which meets the bio-diesel fuel standards, EN 14214 and JIS K 2390, in terms of the impurities.
distribution coefficient fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) low-molecular-weight fatty acids methanol potassium
Hirokazu Takanashi Hideki Ogata Tetsuro Yoshida Tsunenori Nakajima Akira Ohki Takami Kai
Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kagoshima University, 1-21-40 Korimoto, Kagosh Department of Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kagoshima Universi
国际会议
第八届中日水环境暨NSFC-JST重大国际合作项目成果交流会
苏州
英文
24-31
2008-11-29（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）