Biodiesel fuel production applying biotechnological method

Abstract

Taking into account the perspectives of manufacturing of biofuels and potential of raw materials, it was determined that the potential growing areas of rape in our country are not sufficient for supply with raw materials. Thus it is necessary to start growing new cultures, such as Camelina saliva, as an undersowing in the areas of corn and leguminous plants, as well as to use waste fat and oil. The biocalalyst transcsierification is the most suitable for fatty waste of poor quality containing a lot of free fatty acids, when the immobilized lipases are used. The multistage transesterification was investigated using lipases at various ratios of triglycerides and methanol. It was determined that the process lasts for more than 20 hours although the transesteritieation degree of 96.5% specified in the standard is not reached. Contrary to the popular opinion, the immobilized lipases are inactivated by glycerol; therefore the researches were done, how to eliminate glycerol with the help of adsorbents. The adsorption capacity of 5 adsorbents (TRISYL, ENGELHARD F-105 SF, TONSIL-OPTIMUM 214 FF, silica gel of LIFOSA Ltd., JELTAR-100) was analyzed. It was determined that glycerol is best adsorbed by TRISYL in the following conditions: amount of adsorbent - 45 % of biodiesel fuel's weight, temperature - 40 °C, time - 120 min. There was created the technology that allows supplying continuously methanol to the reaction mixture and eliminating glycerol with the help of adsorbents. It was determined that the 89.4 % transesterification degree may be achieved when 10-12 % immobilized lipases in Lipozyme TLIM are used for 7 hours, although the transesterification degree increases only by 7 % in the last 3 hours.