(663c) A Collaborative Pilot Demonstration of DOW AMBERLYST™ BD20 Catalyst in Free Fatty Acid Esterification for Biodiesel Manufacture

The use of biodiesel as a renewable energy resource that could be an economical alternative to fossil fuels is receiving great interest. Biodiesel is produced by the transesterification reaction of triglycerides with methanol to produce fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). These triglyceride oils are costly, and producers are continually searching for less expensive, crude/recycled feedstocks. Unfortunately, lower cost feedstocks for biodiesel manufacture often have unacceptably high levels of free fatty acids (FFAs). Presence of these FFAs lead to poorer process economics and increased problems in separation during the transesterification reaction. Dow has developed AMBERLYST? BD20 catalyst specifically designed for the effective and efficient conversion of FFAs to FAME, enabling biodiesel manufacturers greater flexibility with feedstocks for transesterification, with the added benefit of meeting increasingly challenging biodiesel quality standards.

Researchers at the Dow Spring House PA facility collaborated with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), local PA biodiesel producers, and Bayer Technology Services (Pittsburgh PA) for a pilot trial which succeeded in demonstrating the viability of our heterogeneous polymeric catalysis technology for FFA esterification. In this paper, we will present the performance of AMBERLYST? BD20 catalyst for the esterification of a variety of feedstocks containing a wide range of FFA concentrations. We will also discuss the long-term operability of the unit, design constraints, and recommendations for design improvements. The pilot unit is being placed back in service for interim production at a local PA biodiesel manufacturer, and is available for testing of other biodiesel feedstocks with AMBERLYST? BD20 catalyst.