Process for producing biodiesel from acidic raw materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11767481-B2
Application number	US-202217888698-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2022
Priority date	Aug 16, 2021
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

The present invention concerns a process for producing biodiesel with bifunctional heterogeneous acidic catalysts from acidic raw materials, such as fatty acids and mixtures of fatty acids with triglycerides.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for producing biodiesel from acidic raw materials, characterized in that it comprises:
a) the use of acidic raw materials and triglycerides in the biodiesel production process;
b) the integration of the esterification step via acidic and heterogeneous catalysis with the treatment of oils and fats by physical refining and transesterification for the production of biodiesel;
c) the use of three integration points: at the inlet of a first transesterification reactor, at the inlet of a second transesterification reactor and at the inlet of the washing process of the product of the transesterification section;
d) use of a fixed bed reactor to carry out the esterification step via heterogeneous catalysis;
e) a transesterification reaction system consisting of three continuous stirred tank reactors in series;
f) sending the glycerin to a rectifying tower, while the methyl ester is dried and rectified to produce biodiesel; and
g) the methanol-rich stream is rectified to be recycled.

2. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the raw material consists of free fatty acids with 85% to 90% m/m and triglycerides with 10 to 15% m/m.

3. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the heterogeneous solid acidic catalysts are bifunctional, having activity for esterification and transesterification.

4. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the esterification reaction is carried out at a temperature of 150 to 230° C., pressure of 10 to 25 bar (1 to 2.5 MPa), space velocity of 0.18 at 0.45 h −1 , methanol/raw material molar ratio ranging from 3.0 to 9.0.

5. The process according to claim 1 , characterized in that the transesterification reaction is carried out at the temperature of 55 to 65° C., pressure of 1 to 3bar (0.1 to 0.3 MPa), contact time of 60 to 120 minutes, methanol/raw material molar ratio ranging from 2.0 to 3.0.

Assignees

• Petroleo Brasileiro S A —Petrobras

Inventors

• Pontes Bittencourt Quitete Cristina
• Campos Cauby Coutinho Felipe
• Loureiro Ximenes Vitor

Classifications

• C10L1/02 Primary

  essentially based on components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only · CPC title

• C10L2200/0476

  Biodiesel, i.e. defined lower alkyl esters of fatty acids first generation biodiesel · CPC title

• C10L2230/04

  Catalyst added to fuel stream to improve a reaction · CPC title

• C10L2290/141

  of additive or catalyst · CPC title

• C10L1/08 Primary

  for compression ignition · CPC title