VISCOPLEX® CFIs Cold Flow Improvers for Biodiesel

2

RohMax Expertise

RohMax Global Supply Chain and Technology NetworkWe are a global leader in improving thecold flow properties of a wide range ofboth petroleum and natural oil-basedfluids and lubricants. Our VISCOPLEX®

Cold Flow Improver (CFI) additives

modify low temperature crystalformation, helping biodiesel from avariety of sources meet the lowtemperature requirements of currentfuel standards.

RohMax Oil Additives is a leading global supplier of high performance lubricant and refinery additives and is part of Evonik Industries AG, the global marketleader in specialty chemicals.

RohMax pours more than 60 years of experience into its biodiesel Cold Flow Improvers

Canada

Technology CentersManufacturing Facilities

Singapore

China

France

United Kingdom

United States

Germany

We develop, manufacture and marketVISCOPLEX® viscosity index improvers,pour point depressants, dewaxing aidsand Cold Flow Improvers for biodiesel –all derived from our proprietary polymertechnology.

Our global sales team is backed bytechnical experts and state-of-the-artTechnology Centers in North America,Europe, and Asia. We are committed toproviding tailor-made solutions to meetindustry needs.

Our ISO certified, worldwidemanufacturing network and globalsupply chain enable us to providecustomized products and services to ourcustomers around the world.

3

Biodiesel fuels have different lowtemperature performance, dependingon the crop source from which they arederived. Biodiesel consists of a mix oflong-chain fatty acid esters (usuallyfatty acid methyl esters, or FAMEs)which differ in carbon chain length anddegree of saturation. Individually, eachcomponent of this mix has a meltingpoint somewhere between –35°C and+45°C – a very wide range. Biodieselderived from different sources (such assoy, palm, tallow, etc.) containsdifferent relative levels of thesecomponents, which accounts for itsdiffering cold flow properties. Thegreatest influence on cold flow

properties comes from the relativequantities of the lower melting point(mainly unsaturated and lowermolecular weight saturated)components compared to the highermelting point (mainly higher molecularweight saturated) components. As thecold flow properties of most biodieselfuels are inferior to those of fossil diesel,there is a need to improve theseproperties so they meet theperformance standards of current fuelspecifications.

VISCOPLEX® Cold Flow Improvers havebroad applicability and show benefits inmany tests and many biodiesel types. Inparticular, they can:• Improve the Cold Filter Plugging

Point (CFPP) of biodiesel B100 fromdifferent sources, such as Soy MethylEster (SME), Rapeseed Methyl Ester(RME), or Palm Methyl Ester (PME),enabling:• increased value for product sold

against a CFPP target• expanded sales of biodiesel in

colder periods or regions thanpreviously possible without aVISCOPLEX® CFI

• improved biodiesel low temperaturehandling properties whileminimizing sedimentation andsolidification

• Allow blends of FAMEs with goodand poor low temperatureperformance to meet the requiredspecifications

• Improve the CFPP of blends ofbiodiesel (SME, RME, PME) withfossil diesel, thereby extending therange of blend ratios (B5, B10, etc)that meet the required fuelspecifications

The Challenge: Biodiesel Cold Flow Properties

Biodiesel Feedstock without Cold Flow Improvers

The Solution: VISCOPLEX® CFIs

Decreasing Tem

perature

4

The Mechanism of Action of VISCOPLEX® CFIs

VISCOPLEX® CFIs can provide dramatic low temperature performanceimprovements

As a liquid biodiesel sample is cooled,the higher melting point components willbegin to crystallize and come out ofsolution. Initially they form smallcrystals which make the fuel look hazyto the naked eye. The temperature atwhich this first occurs is called theCloud Point (CP).

Continued cooling causes the crystals togrow into plate and needle structuresthat will increase the viscosity of the

biodiesel sample beyond that of the fullyliquid fuel. When these plate and needlestructures become sufficiently largethey can cause filter plugging, with thetemperature at which this occurs beingthe Cold Filter Plugging Point (CFPP).With further cooling, the crystals willcontinue to grow and the liquid fuel willeventually be trapped and immobilizedin a three-dimensional network, whichoccurs while the majority of the fuel

components are still in the liquid phase.The temperature at which this occurs isthe Pour Point (PP) of the fluid. Ifundisturbed, these waxy solids cansettle out as a visible lower layer, whichmay be diffuse or quite solid and can bea source of bulk fluid handlingproblems.

At the temperatures and cooling rates atwhich these effects are just starting tobe realized, the solids account for only asmall portion of the fuel and the crystalstructure contains a large amount offluid trapped in a fragile solid matrix. Acorrectly selected VISCOPLEX® ColdFlow Improver acts at both a molecularlevel to alter the crystallization process,and at a particulate level, to changecrystal morphology, thus interferingwith the development of the crystalmatrix and extending the range offluidity of the biodiesel to lowertemperatures or slower cooling rates.

Uncontrolled Crystal Growth Controlled Crystal Growth

Crystalline NetworkHinders Low Temp Flow

Dramatic Improvement of Low Temp Performance

Crystal Crystallite

VISCOPLEX®

Cold Flow Improvers

Crystalline Network Retarded Formation ofCrystalline Network

5

Effect of VISCOPLEX® CFIsCold Flow Improvers work bymodifying the growth of thecrystallizing particles. They have littleeffect on the temperature at which thecrystals start to form, or the totalamount of crystals that form. Rather,when crystals form, Cold FlowImprovers co-crystallize on the edges ofthe growing crystal plate, therebyblocking the continued growth of theplate. The result is smaller crystals thatmore easily pass filters and that are lessable to form the three-dimensional gel

structures that impair the flow of thefuel. The impact on cold flow propertiesis that while CP is little affected,dramatic improvements in CFPP and PPcan be obtained.

An added benefit of VISCOPLEX® CFIsis that on re-warming of fuel thatcontains solids, the smaller, moredispersed crystal structure means thatthe fuel is more quickly and easilyreturned to a useable fluid state.

0.5% VISCOPLEX® 10-305 crystallites<5µmnon-treated – crystals<50µm

Without Cold Flow Improvers With VISCOPLEX®

Cloud Point

CFPP

Pour Point

Cloud Point

CFPP

Pour Point

RME

6

A 13°C (23°F) improvement in CFPP can beachieved in RME with 0.5% VISCOPLEX® 10-305weight/weight treat rate. A 1–4°C improvement in cloud point and >25°C(51°F) improvement in pour point can also be achieved.

Performance of VISCOPLEX® CFIs

A 5°C (9°F) improvement in CFPP can be achieved in SME with 0.25% VISCOPLEX® 10-330weight/weight treat rate. Typically, cloud point will be improved by 1–4°Cand pour point by >20°C.

A 5°C (9°F) improvement can be achieved in PMEwith 0.75% VISCOPLEX® 10-330 weight/weighttreat rate.Typically, pour point and cloud point will beimproved by ~2°C.

SME

CFPP/PP of VISCOPLEX® 10-305 in RME

CFPP of VISCOPLEX® 10-330 in SME

CFPP of VISCOPLEX® 10-330 in PMEPME

7

Blending of different FAME sources isoften undertaken to either ensure that arequired CFPP target is met, or toimprove the raw material economics of aFAME blend while still meeting theCFPP requirement of the relevantseasonal fuel grade. The use of a

correctly selected VISCOPLEX® coldflow additive will improve the CFPP ofFAME blends, often meaning that thetarget CFPP can be achieved with alesser quantity of the higher cost FAME.In most cases, the VISCOPLEX® treatcost is more than compensated for by

the reduction in cost derived from themore favorable economics of the rawmaterials used to make the FAME. Thismeans that treatment with VISCOPLEX®

frequently represents the most cost-effective option to achieve the desiredCFPP target.

RME + SME

PME + SME

CFPP in Blends of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters

VISCOPLEX® CFI Effect on the CFPP of RME + SME Blends

VISCOPLEX® CFI Effect on the CFPP of PME + SME Blends

8

Soy Methyl Ester (SME)

after 24 hours ofstorage at -5°C

after 3 days ofstorage at -5°C

Neat SME (no additives)

with VISCOPLEX® additive(1% wt VISCOPLEX® 10-330)

Palm Methyl Ester (PME)

after 24 hours ofstorage at 10°C

after 3 days ofstorage at 10°C

Neat SME (no additives)

with VISCOPLEX® additive(1% wt VISCOPLEX® 10-330)

Improve Cold Storage Stability

9

Recommended additive for PME. Also recommended for CFPP improvementof SME and blends of SME & PME.

Recommended additive for RME. Alsorecommended for blends of RME &SME, and to improve the lowtemperature characteristics of SME forproperties other than CFPP.

Recommended additive for RMEgeneral low temperature improvementin FAME sources or blends which maynot give optimum response toVISCOPLEX® 10-330 or 10-305.

VISCOPLEX® 10-330 VISCOPLEX® 10-305 VISCOPLEX® 10-320

VISCOPLEX® CFIs from RohMax deliver visible results

CFPP

Pour Point

Cold Storage

Benefits

Palm (and Palm + Soy blends) Soy

Canola/Rapeseed (and Rapeseed + Soy blends)

VISCOPLEX® CFI Portfolio

10

VISCOPLEX® additives are viscous liquids. In bulk form, theyare more easily handled when heated, or when pre-diluted andstored in mixtures with biodiesel to lower the viscosity. Whendissolved in fuel, the final mix needs to be made at elevatedtemperature (>40°C) to ensure full solubilization, but more

importantly, to ensure full interaction of the VISCOPLEX®

with the waxy structures formed on cooling.

Full guidelines on handling and applying VISCOPLEX®

products are available. Please contact us for samples andadvice, or visit www.rohmax.com.

Handling and Applying RohMax Products

11

The RohMax Biodiesel CommitmentRohMax is investing in research to further developCold Flow Improver technology for biodiesel.

This information and all further technical advice isbased on our present knowledge and experience.However, they imply no liability or other legalresponsibility on our part, including with regard toexisting third party intellectual property rights,especially patent rights. In particular, no warranty,whether express or implied, or guarantee ofproduct properties in the legal sense is intended orimplied. We reserve the right to make any changesaccording to technological progress or furtherdevelopments. The customer is not released fromthe obligation to conduct careful inspection andtesting of incoming goods. Performance of theproduct described herein should be verified bytesting, which should be carried out only byqualified experts in the sole responsibility of thecustomer. Reference to trade names used by othercompanies is neither a recommendation, nor doesit imply that similar products could not be used.VISCOPLEX® is a registered trademark of EvonikRohMax Additives GmbH.

©04/2008 Evonik RohMax Additives GmbH

Europe, Africa, Mideast

Evonik RohMax Additives GmbHKirschenallee64293 DarmstadtGermany

PHONE +49 6151 1809

Americas

Evonik RohMax USA, Inc. 723 Electronic DriveHorsham, Pennsylvania 19044-2228

PHONE +1 215 706 5800TOLL-FREE 1 888 876 4629

Asia Pacific

Evonik RohMax Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.3 International Business Park07-18 Nordic European CentreSingapore 609927

PHONE +65 6899 0080

www.rohmax.cominfo-rohmax-cfi@evonik.com