Revolutionising sustainability: A comprehensive guide to biodiesel production equipment

Introduction

Rapid increases in global energy demands - coupled with the depletion of and environmental concerns associated with fossil fuels - have led energy producers to explore alternatives to petroleum-derived fuels. Since it is environment-friendly, technically viable, economically competitive, and does not require any modifications to diesel-based engines, biodiesel is a leading alternative fuel, especially to power automobiles.

To produce fuels for a better, greener tomorrow, investing in biodiesel production equipment is the need of the hour. Players already active in the oils and fats processing or food industries are particularly well-placed to leverage advancements in biodiesel production. This is because many of the feedstocks needed by biodiesel production equipment - agricultural by-products, industrial crops, used cooking oils, new edible and non-edible oils etc. - are produced by these industries. As such, investing in equipment to make biodiesel allows them to generate value-added products from residues that may otherwise have been discarded.

India, particularly, has surplus biomass residues of roughly 200 million tonnes which can be converted into green fuels with the right equipment for biodiesel production. India also has the potential to produce over 1,000 million tonnes of biomass in the coming years, giving biodiesel manufacturers in the country the opportunity to produce biodiesel for export.

Now, whether you want to produce biodiesel from edible oils or non-edible oils, for domestic consumption or for export, the most important decision you will make will be selecting your biodiesel production equipment suppliers. Equipment for biodiesel production includes not only a biodiesel plant itself but also equipment for feedstock pretreatment, biodiesel distillation, and crude glycerine refining. Choosing biodiesel equipment manufacturers who can provide you with holistic solutions is key.

Selecting equipment for biodiesel production

The main motive behind biodiesel production is sustainability, so while selecting biodiesel production equipment, too, sustainability should guide your actions. Here are some features that the most environmentally and economically sustainable equipment to make biodiesel will boast of:

1. Multi-feedstock options in a single plant: The largest investment in the biodiesel production process is the cost of feedstock. Further, given its dependence on climactic and agricultural factors, your feedstock of choice may be susceptible to fluctuations in price and availability. Situations may arise in which you will have to use a different feedstock than originally intended. Or you may choose to use multiple feedstocks from diverse sources to meet your production demands. This is why it is always best to go with biodiesel equipment manufacturers who offer multi-feedstock options in a single plant.
2. Low utility consumption: Given global realities, utilities like energy and water must always be used carefully. Further, reducing the required quantity of inputs like catalysts, alcohols, and agricultural feedstocks also demonstrates economic benefits. For these reasons, select biodiesel production equipment suppliers who promise reduced catalyst consumption, high conversion rates, low methanol or ethanol consumption in the transesterification process, and high energy efficiency.
3. Low waste generation: Waste products generated from industrial processes not only pollute the environment but also add to manufacturer costs for cleaning up and managing the waste. Preventing waste generation in the first place is much preferred to managing it once it is produced. Pick biodiesel production equipment that produces fewer unwanted substances - the best machinery will have very low soap formation and generate very little effluents.
4. Value-add products: You cannot eliminate some by-products being generated during the transesterification process. Ideally, these by-products will be of high purity and quality so that they can be repurposed in other processes or industries. For biodiesel production equipment to be clean and sustainable, the glycerine produced should be pharma-grade so that it can add value to pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.

The future of sustainable biodiesel production: Equipment to make biodiesel from non-edible feedstock

Currently, biodiesel is produced primarily from edible crops, and accordingly, biodiesel production equipment is designed to meet their extraction and biodiesel conversion needs. However, using edible crops and oils to make biodiesel at industrial scales has caused a food vs fuel problem. Using edible oil as feedstock has diverted some edible crops from food to fuel applications, caused food supply depletion, and sent food oil prices soaring due to high demand. Using these in-demand oils also means that the operating costs of equipment for biodiesel production have increased.

Enter non-edible oils like jatropha, sea mango, candlenut, and rubber seed oils. These plant-derived oils contain substances toxic to humans, but they are perfectly suited for biodiesel production. However, using these as feedstock requires some modifications to not only biodiesel production equipment but also oil extraction equipment.

Oil extraction to produce non-edible oils suitable for biodiesel production equipment

Mechanical screw press extraction, Soxhlet extraction, enzymatic extraction, and microwave extraction can all be used to extract oil from edible and non-edible plant seeds for various purposes. To extract non-edible oils which are suitable as feedstock for biodiesel production equipment, mechanical press and Soxhlet extraction are used most commonly. In recent years, the novel supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) technology has also been used for efficient oil extraction for multiple purposes. Essentially, moisture content and free fatty acid (FFA) content are the main parameters defining biodiesel production efficiency. Moisture in a non-edible oil causes soap formation, which can eventually increase the biodiesel's viscosity. Meanwhile, FFAs can cause low biodiesel conversion rates as some of the catalyst gets consumed and the overall catalytic activity gets reduced. Therefore, extraction processes which lower moisture content and FFA levels best complement equipment to make biodiesel.

Equipment for biodiesel production from non-edible oils

The presence of FFAs presents a challenge in converting non-edible oils into biodiesel. Therefore, equipment to make biodiesel from jatropha, candlenut, cottonseed or other non-edible plant sources must be specially suited to these feedstocks. Such equipment is usually designed to carry out processes like micro-emulsification, pyrolysis, catalytic or other kinds of transesterification, and dilution. Every feedstock will have its own process and equipment specifications for biodiesel conversion. Nonetheless, these customisations are very important if non-edible oils are to be effectively and efficiently converted into biodiesel. They are very important to produce renewable fuels at industrial scales while avoiding fallouts related to food security, agricultural sustainability, and resource constraints.

At the end of the day, biodiesel equipment manufacturers who offer you the integrations and customisations you need are the best suited for sustainable biodiesel production. The equipment you use to make biodiesel can make or break the efficiency and profitability of your operations, so biodiesel production equipment suppliers who demonstrate agility, flexibility, and a willingness to keep up with upcoming technologies are the ones who will hold you in good stead in the years to come.