Petrochemical Systems Corp. “PSC”

Biodiesel Technology Plant

A fuel comprised of mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils OR animal fats designated B100, and meet the requirements of ASTM D 6751.

Methyl Ester

What is Biodiesel ?

It contains no petroleum but can be blended with petroleum diesel.

It runs in diesel engines, reduces emissions, reduces oil dependence and meets Federal Standards.

Biodiesel yields 3.2 units of fuel energy whereas Petroleum Diesel yields 0.83 units of fuel energy per unit of fossil energy consumed.

Biodiesel vs. Petroleum Diesel

Biodiesel emits 78.5% less CO2 than Petroleum Diesel. The blend exhibits proportionate benefits i.e. B20 emits 15.66% less CO2 than Petroleum Diesel.

Significant emission reductions in CO, CO2, unburned hydrocarbons, particulate matter, ozone formation and reduction in cancer risk.

Why PSC ?

Over 30 years of experience in Design / Build Projects of Distillation, Evaporation and Recovery Systems associated with the petrochemical industry. Over 40 years combined engineering knowledge

Process Design using Simulation Software – ChemCAD & HYSYS.

Engineering Expertise including Mechanical, Piping, Instrumentation, Chemical, Process, Electrical, Controls, and Structural.

Installation and Start-up Expertise in State-of-the-Art Industrial Automation & Controls.

Experienced manpower in Biodiesel Plant Operation, Maintenance, Monitoring and Optimization

Optional process for faster Transesterification such as Ultrasonication Conversion.

PSC’ Engineering Capability

Electrical Electrical ProcessProcess PurchasingPurchasing Project ManagementProject Management Controls Controls Construction Construction ManagementManagement

MechanicalMechanical ChemicalChemical CivilCivil StructuralStructuralInstrumentationInstrumentation

PSC’ Technical Support Capabilities

Lab testingLab testing P&ID developmentP&ID development Pre-commissioning Pre-commissioning

supportsupport Service supportService support Training & DevelopmentTraining & Development Remote engineering Remote engineering

assistance assistance

Conceptual process Conceptual process evaluation evaluation

Process simulation Process simulation Operator trainingOperator training Start-up assistanceStart-up assistance Field service supportField service support Project managementProject management

Pretreatment with Acid Esterification Continuous flow

Trans-esterification using a Bio-Conversion Processor (BCP) Continuous flow / Waterless

Biodiesel Refining (ASV)

Methanol separation from Glycerin and Water (SRXC) Recovered Methanol is reused in the process Glycerin produces is non-hazardous

Post treatment using dry wash applications

Process of PSC Technology

Oil Feed System

EsterificationMethanol

Acid Catalyst

Treated Oil

Virgin Oil

Transesterification

Crude Glycerin

Crude Biodiesel

Glycerin Refining (SRXC)

Biodiesel Refining (ASV)

Dry Glycerin Post Treatment

Dry Wash

Methanol + Water to SRXC

Methanol Recovery

Biodiesel Process Flow

Alkali Catalyst

Biodiesel

Crude Glycerin

Pretreatment / Esterification

Methanol & acid are mixed and injected into oil stream

Mixture is heated to 140°F - 175°F. and reacted in the tubular reactor

After Esterification, dry glycerin is added and mixed with oil-

methanol stream while cooling to 140°F.

Light layer and heavy layers are separated with the help of Centrifuge

Light layer is ready for Transesterification

Esterification

Transesterification

Transesterification is based on the chemical reaction of triglycerides with Methanol to form methyl esters and glycerin in the presence of an alkaline catalyst

Methanol & Catalyst are injected into Light layer from esterification and virgin oil and reacted in the Bio-Conversion Processor (BCP)

Crude Biodiesel and Crude Glycerin are separated using Centrifuge after completion of the transesterification reaction

Crude Biodiesel and Crude Glycerin are refined using distillation columns

Use of Ultrasonication Conversion can speed up this process significantly.

Bio Conversion Processor (BCP)

Biodiesel Refining (ASV)

Crude Biodiesel from Transesterification is refined from Methanol and Water

By controlling the process parameters, Biodiesel is separated from the distillation column bottom

Biodiesel is then further purified with post treatment, or the final washing process

Methanol along with water separated from the biodiesel by ASV column is then further processed to recover Methanol in the SRXC to provide high purity Methanol for reuse

ASV System

ASV System

Glycerin Processing (SRXC)

Crude Glycerin from Transesterification and Methanol / Water stream from ASV unit is refined in the distillation column for Methanol reuse at 99.9% purity

By controlling the process parameters of column, Glycerin, water, and neutralized catalyst are discharged at a flash point above 140°F.

Glycerin recovered from this process is NON-HAZARDOUS and can be easily stored and transported, or can be further refined

Methanol is recovered from the top of the column and reused in the plant processes

SRXC System

SRXC System (Dual Column Design)

Typical HMI Screen (DCS with Optimization)

Typical HMI Screen Remote Control

Post Treatment / Dry Wash

Biodiesel produced is treated using “Dry Washing” to remove impurities

Benefits of Dry Washing

Reduced waste water

Faster wash times

Improved fuel quality

Features of PSC Biodiesel Plants

Prefabricated modular units for modular growth.

Optimization of the process using PSC licensed software.

Field Instrumentation communication using Profibus.

Plant controlled by a Distributed Control System (DCS)

Assistance in engineering of tank farm, buildings, and site infrastructure.

Project management, start-up, operation assistance, day-to-day plant operations.

Ultrasonic Transesterification of Oil to Biodiesel

Ultrasonication increases the chemical reaction speed of the transesterification of vegetable oils and animal fats into biodiesel. This allows to change the production from batch processing to continuous flow processing and it reduces investment and operational costs.

Biodiesel Conversion using Ultrasonication

Continuous Processing and Separation

In a setup for the continuous processing and continuous separation, the heated oil and the catalyst premix are mixed together continuously using adjustable pumps. An inline static mixer improves the homogeneity of the feed to the ultrasonic flow cell. The oil/catalyst mixture passes the flow cell, where it is being exposed to ultrasonic cavitation for approx. 5 to 30 seconds. A backpressure valve is used to control the pressure in the flow cell. The sonicated mix enters the reactor column on the top. The volume of the reactor column is designed to give approx. 1 hour retention time in the column. During that time, the transesterification reaction is completed. The reacted biodiesel/glycerin mix is pumped to the centriguge where it is separated into the biodiesel and glycerin fractions. Post-processing involves alcohol recovery, washing and drying and can be done continuously, too.This setup eliminates reactor batches, conventional agitators and large separator tanks.

Algae Cultivation system

Algae oil is an interesting sustainable feedstock for biodiesel manufacturing. It is an alternative to popular feedstocks, like soybean, canola and palm. Ultrasonication improves the extraction of oil from the algae cells and the conversion to biodiesel. In comparison to traditional oil-seed crops, algae yields much more oil per acre. While soybean typically produces less than 50 gallon of oil per acre and rapeseed generates less than 130 gallon per acre, algae can yield up to 20,000 gallons per acre. In particular diatoms and green algae are good sources for the production of biodiesel.Like other plants, algae stores energy in the form of lipids. There are various methods for extracting the oils, such as pressing, hexane solvent wash and ultrasonic extraction.

Cultivation system* development

 Concept: • bubble column reactors for continuous inoculation • open cascade of increasing surface area>> supply effluents • “once through” hydraulic regime>> no backmixing>> no build up of contaminants (< 0.02%) • adequate mixing required large-scale selective cultivation AND water purification at acceptable cost

Integral system (concept)

  •system simplification; cost-and energy reduction

Algae Bond Cultivation

  Comparison of average oil yields from algae with that from other oilseeds The table above presents indicative oil yields from various oilseeds and algae. Please note that there are significant variations in yields even within an individual oilseed depending on where it is grown, the specific variety/grade of the plant etc. Similarly, for algae there are significant variations between oil yields from different strains of algae. The data presented above are indicative in nature, primarily to highlight the order-of-magnitude differences present in the oil yields from algae when compared with other oilseeds.

Yield of Various Plant Oils Crop             Oil in Liters per hectare Castor            1413Sunflower       952Safflower        779Palm               5950Soy                 446Coconut          2689Algae             100000

Typical Way That Typical Way That SAHARA GROUP UK SAHARA GROUP UK

PSC BuildsPSC BuildsBiodiesel PlantsBiodiesel Plants

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