Document 6520099

ET Process® and Beyond
George Chou
Sunho Biodiesel Corporation
Presented in the Symposium of Biomass Energy Society of China
Taipei, Taiwan
December 2011
Why ET Process® ?
-Sustainable
-Fast
-Profitable
SBC (2011)
Biodiesel and/or Fatty Acid Alkyl Ester
Plant oil or
animal fat
+ Alcohol
Biodiesel + Glycerol
Oil source
: edible / nonedible oil
fresh oils / waste greases
crude / refined oils
high / low FFA oils
Alcohol
: prime ( e.g., methanol, ethanol ) or secondary alcohol
( e.g., isopropanol, isobutanol )
Biodiesel
: Fatty acid monoalkyl ester ( RCOOR’ )
SBC (2011)
Technology Overview
Transesterification
Esterification
: Oil + Alcohol
: FFAs + Alcohol
Biodiesel + Glycerol
Biodiesel + H2O
Disadvantages
Chemical Approach
‧
Base Catalyst
Liquid
Solid
‧
Acid Catalyst
Liquid
Solid
‧
Supercritical Process
Limits transesterification
‧Restrictions on level of H2O and FFA allowable in feedstock
‧Neutralization & washing required
‧Low quality glycerol co-product
‧Extremely high temp. and pressure required
‧Restriction on level of H2O and FFA allowable in feedstock
‧Decomposes glycerol due to high temp.
‧Impurities ( e.g., polymers ) due to thermogenetic reactions
‧Catalyst deactivation due to impurities
Limits esterification
‧Restriction on level of H2O and FFA in feedstock
‧Equipment corrosion
‧Lengthy reaction time
‧Neutralization & washing required
‧Excess alcohol required
‧High temp. and pressure required
‧Excess alcohol required
‧Lengthy reaction time
Not suitable for mass production
Uniqueness Factor: ET Process®
Role of Inert Solvent
Disadvantages
Enzymatic Approach Simultaneous transesterification & esterification
‧
Without inert solvent
‧Lengthy reaction time
‧Can only be done by batch operation
‧Deactivation of biocatalyst due to glycerol or water
‧High operating cost due to lipase consumption
‧Unstable product quality
‧
With inert solvent
ET Process®
‧Totally green process
‧Long lipase life span
‧Room temp. and pressure operation
‧Automatic continuous, integrated state-of-the-art
fully developed process
(Patented worldwide)
SBC (2011)
Biotechnology Process®
Methanol recycling
Inert solvent recycling
H2O discharge
Methanol
Vegetable oil
Methanol make up
Inert solvent make up
Inert solvent
Biodiesel
Glycerol
Simplified flowsheet of ET Process , Sunho Biodiesel
(US 7473539, US 7666666)
SBC (2011)
The most wanted
SBC (2011)
Biodiesel Feedstocks
Dec. 2008
FFA wt%
Rapeseed oil
640 € / t
2%
Soybean oil
610 € / t
2%
Crude palm oil
470 € / t
~8%
Yellow grease
240 € / t
15 - 20 %
Edible tallow
350 € / t
15 - 20 %
PFAD
250 € / t
~ 100 %
Jatropha
300 € / t
10 %
* PFAD: Palm Fatty Acid Distillate
Source: www.bayertechnology.com
SBC (2011)
Cost savings by ET Process®
Basis : CPO , 8 % FFA
470 € / t ( Dec. 2008 ) USD 681.5 / t
Saving in feedstock
USD
129.8 / ton biodiesel
Profit from glycerol
USD
75.0 / ton biodiesel
Saving in operating cost
USD
46.9 / ton biodiesel
Total savings
USD
251.7 / ton biodiesel
i.e. , USD
0.251 / Kg biodiesel
Basis : 1 € = 1.45 USD
SBC (2011)
Advantages
With the ET Process®, government subsidy is not
necessary for business sustainability.
Biodiesel price can be lower than diesel, still with
significant profit
Payback : far less than 1 year
SBC (2011)
Further Potential
Not just a biofuel technology, but also a
production process for biobased chemicals
used in biolube, biosurfactant, biosolvent,
cosmetic, biotechnology and specific
chemicals (fine chemicals), etc.
SBC (2011)
Applications for Biodiesel and Beyond
Biodiesel or
Fatty Acid Alkyl Esters
®
ETProcess
Process ®
ET
Oil
((Core
Core technology
technology))
Esterification
Esterification&
&
transesterification
transesterification
Monoglycerides
Glycerol
(widely used and
can be a high
value-added
material )
SBC (2011)
Fatty Acid Alkyl Esters
Tallow + IPA
Fatty acid isopropyl ester + Glycerol
High-Value End Products:
High•Isopropyl myristate
•Isopropyl palmitate
•Glycerol monostearate
•Isopropyl oleate and/or isopropyl linoleate
SBC (2011)
Applications of the ET Process®
‧ Starting with fatty acid
+ Lauryl alcohol
Lauric acid
Stearic acid
+
n-butanol
or
iso-butanol
Lauryl Laurate
+ H2O
n-butyl stearate
or
iso-butyl stearate
+ H2O
‧ Starting with oil
Oil
+
n-butanol
or
iso-butanol
Fatty acid n-butyl ester
or
+ Glycerol
Fatty acid iso-butyl ester
SBC (2011)
Derivatives of
Monoglycerides
Conventional manufacturing
methods
•Citric acid ester of MG
•Distilled glycerol monostearate
•Glyceryl laureate
Sulfated MG
1. Reacted with SO3 gas;
2. NaOH
Hydrogenated MG
Heated oil +
bubbled with H2
Direct
Esterification
Free FA
Natural MG
Monoglyceride
Acrylated products
FA + glycidyl methacrylate OR
acrylic copolymer + MG OR
glycerine + polyacrylic acid
Epoxidized MG
1. MG + acetic anhydride
2. Peracetic acid in acetic acid
Glycerol
Monoglyceride
Alkyd Resin
MG + phthalic anhydride
Oil
Interesterification
or Glycerolysis
+
Diglyceride
Acetylated MG
Acetic anhydride + MG
Polymerized
Epoxidation
Reaction with diisocyanate
Reaction with polyhydroxy
acid (e.g., lactic
acid)
•Cocomonoglyceride
sulfate
•Food, Food preservative, Food packaging
•Cosmetics, Detergent
•Pharmaceutical
•Plastic additives, Anti-static
•Drug delivery
•Fire retardant hydraulic fluid
•Cosmetics, Detergent, e.g., Plantapon® CMGS
•Sodium hydrogenated palm
kernel fatty MG sulfate
•Sodium hydrogenated palm fatty
MG sulfate
•Sodium hydrogenated tallow
fatty MG sulfate
•Glyceryl polymethacrylate
•Methacrylated fatty acid
monomer (e.g., oleic acid)
•Epoxidized MG diacetate
•Long or short alkyds; e.g., from
rubber seed oil, palm, Parkia
Biglobosa, etc.
•Acetylated glycerol monostearate or
stearodiacetin
•Monoacetin
•Acetylated castor oil MG
•Polyurethane
•Alkyd resin
•Soybean oil MG, Linseed oil MG
polymers or co-polymers
•Polyurethane elastomer
•Copolyester elastomer
•Urethane methacrylate oligomer
•Rapeseed monooleate-rich
lactic resin
•Detergent
•Cosmetics (stabilizes emulsions, enhances
viscosity, strong hydrating power, film former)
•Pharmaceuticals
•Plastic additives
•Alkyd resin
•Bioplastics
•Additive for PVC
•Bioplastic (commonly, epoxidation is applied for
oils to make bioplastics)
•Paint, Coating, Primer
•Baked finishes on automobiles, refrigerators,
stoves, washing machine
•Printing Ink
•Enamels (long alkyds)
•Food packaging (block moisture transport)
•Wax and plastic additive
•Food dye solvent
•Cosmetics
•Foaming agent
•Thermoset polymers
(for PU)
Coating, foam, insulating foams for buildings,
carpets, adhesives, metal/plastic coatings, shoes
Thermoplastic / Elastomer
Others
Glyptal = terephthalic
acid + glycerine
•Vinyl ester MG / Acrylated MG
•Uralkyd (elastomer)-PMMA IPN
•Glyptal polyester (crosslinked)
•Liquid molding resin
•Plastic Additive: IPN to add toughness to PMMA
•Adhesive or coating
What’s Next ?
Lipid--based Biorefinery Society
Lipid
‧ Biofuel
‧ Renewal Raw Materials
SBC (2011)