DBNRG offers consulting services to help develop environmentally positive process modifications to biofuel production. Existing bio-fuels systems function, but small, incremental changes will probably not be enough. Rethinking processes can allow for the production of purified glycerol and biodiesels with zero waste generation and no need for fossil fuels used in production.
Lower energy costs, reduced waste, increased profits.
GLYCEROL IS A VALUE ADDED BY-PRODUCT OF BIODIESEL PRODUCTION
Glycerol is a simple polyol compound that is sweet, odorless and non toxic, widely used in human and animal foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and as a chemical precursor.
The global glycerol market is at $2.5 billion and growing at 6+% per year, with major growth driven by international markets and new applications.
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- COVID-19 has created a big demand for hand sanitizers. Glycerol is an essential ingredient used in hand sanitizer formulations.
- Food: Glycerol keeps foods moist, is used as a sweetener, and may help preserve foods. It is also used as filler in commercially prepared low-fat foods (e.g., cookies).
- Cosmetics and pharmaceuticals: Glycerol is used in medical, pharmaceutical and personal care preparations, often as a means of improving smoothness, providing lubrication, and as a humectant. It is found in allergen immunotherapies, cough syrups, elixirs and expectorants, toothpaste, mouthwashes, skin care products, shaving cream, hair care products, soaps, and water-based personal lubricants. It is used as well in medicines and in stabilizing blood products.
- Chemicals: Glycerol is used as a raw material for chemical synthesis, as a component in antifreeze and to produce nitroglycerin for both explosives and medicine.
The global glycerol market is expected to grow at a CAGR of above 6% over the forecast period of 2016 to 2024. https://www.hexaresearch.com/research-report/glycerol-industry
DBNRG’S GLYCEROL PURIFICATION PROCESS
Production of bio-diesel generates crude glycerol as a by-product. DBNRG’s technologies can upgrade crude glycerol into a highly purified product with a significantly greater value compared to the crude material. Purified glycerol is valued between 4 to 10 times greater than crude glycerol.
Upgrading crude glycerol can result in a significant profit source for a biodiesel producer, regardless of fluctuations in the commodity market price.
DBNRG’s glycerol purification process differs from the current distillation approach used industrially in many ways, particularly in the application of vacuum systems. The conventional glycerol distillation process is costly, both in capital investment, energy usage and operational costs…so much so that most bio-diesel producers sell their crude glycerol for pennies rather that invest in making high purity glycerol.
DBNRG’s high vacuum system uses less energy, generates far less environmental impact and is substantially more profitable than conventional multi-stage distillation, while producing a highly refined, pure pharmaceutical grade 99.5+% glycerol.
FUEL PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY
Equilibrium studies of canola oil transesterification using a sodium glyceroxide catalyst prepared from a biodiesel waste stream.
D. Bradley, E. Levin, C. Rodriguez, P. G. Williard, A. Stanton, A. M. Socha
Fuel Processing Technology
Volume 146, 1 June 2016, Pages 70-75
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2016.02.009
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378382016300571
Abstract: Crude glycerol is a low value by-product of the biodiesel industry, and its use as an alkaline catalyst component offers a cost-lowering strategy for sustainable fuel production.
Sodium glyceroxide can be used to generate methoxide ions in situ, and the latter act as catalysts for the transesterification of triglycerides to fatty acid methyl esters (biodiesel, or FAMEs).
Catalytic formulations of sodium glyceroxide were prepared from glycerol, methanol and NaOH, characterized by X-ray diffraction, and used for rapid transesterification of canola oil into biodiesel.
The kinetics of the reaction using 6 and 9 M equivalents of methanol and 0.5 wt.% and 1.0 wt.% catalyst loading were studied by 1H NMR spectroscopy.
Catalyst formulations prepared from crude glycerol performed transesterification reactions in methanol at a rate comparable to those observed for sodium hydroxide. Analogous to methoxide-catalyzed transesterifications, the reactions using glyceroxide appeared to be rate-limited by mass transfer.
The relative viscosities of glyceroxide formulations prepared in methanol are also presented, and show an inverse correlation between viscosity and increasing concentration, a trend characteristic of ionic glycerol solutions.
Contact
Dave Bradley MS Environmental Engineering BS Chemical Engineering, 17 patents in chemical and industrial processes
Dave @ dbnrgllc.com
