Sustainable Production of Biodiesel From Canola Oil: A Systematic Approach

Sustainable Production of Biodiesel from Canola Oil: A Systematic Approach

Estelle Guyonvarch^a, Ilias Mavrovas^a, Rasmus W. Aniol^a, Amol S. Hukkerikar^a

^aDepartment of Chemical and Biochemical engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Soltofts Plads, Building 229, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

During the last few years, there is globally a rapid turn towards the sustainable production of alternative fuels both for environmental and geopolitical reasons. A significant example is the decision of the European Commission to increase the use of alternative fuels in the road transport sector to 20 % by 2020 (Directive 2003/30/EC) in order to address not only the increasing environmental damage but also its dependence on oil producing external agents [1].   

Biodiesel appears to be a highly promising alternative for the substitution of petroleum derived diesel, given that it presents significant merits such as low-toxicity, biodegradability and increased availability. By taking into account the existence of commercial biodiesel production facilities in various countries, in this project a systematic approach is followed for the preliminary design of a biodiesel production plant using virgin vegetable canola oil as raw material by a NaOH catalyzed trans-esterification process. Through a sequence of 12 consecutive tasks an analytical decomposition of the design process in subsystems is achieved.

In tasks 1 to 6 initial design has been elaborated, followed by generation of potential process alternatives. Then in tasks 7 and 8 development of a rigorous form of the process and sizing and costing of the specified equipment is respectively applied. Heat and mass integration opportunities and their subsequent effects on the economic feasibility of the process are further investigated in tasks 9 and 10. Task 11 in turn focuses on the environmental and sustainability aspects of the process by evaluating the environmental and socio-economical impact of the process through the use of the WAR algorithm. Last, in task 12 optimization of the process with respect to the minimization of the capital and operational costs but also to the environmental impact of the process takes place in accordance with the generated results from tasks 9 to 11. For the design and simulation of the biodiesel process a commercial simulator is used, while the integrated computer aided software ICAS is used for the prediction of components physico-chemical properties and the application of the WAR algorithm. Last, ECON software is used for the analysis of the economic aspects of the process.

The plant is designed for a total production rate of 115 M liters of biodiesel per year. Additionally 7.9 M liters of glycerol per year are produced as a valuable by-product, thus leading to a total annual income of US$ 155.8 M. After optimizing the biodiesel process, a reduction of the utility costs by 16 % is achieved, resulting in a 19 % increase of the net return in a 10 year period and a payback time of 1.5 years. Last, the following ratios are determined: 0.904 kg biodiesel / kg (canola oil + methanol), 0.012 L (water solvent) / kg biodiesel and 1470 KJ (energy consumed) / kg biodiesel.

References:

[1] Official Journal of the European Union, L Series, number 123 of 17 May 2003, page 43