A biodiesel processor is a combination reaction vessel. It is used for producing biodiesel from vegetable oil.
An industrial processor is very much considered convenient for production volumes, which can’t produce more than10,000 t/year. The reaction and distillation process of the alcohol is a batch processing. The decantation use to happen continuously.
In the industry, a static mixer is being used with the esterification catalyst called sulphuric acid and then methanol and vegetable oil are mixed. The reactor is used for esterfication of free fatty acids. Where as in another static mixer, an alkaline catalyst generally potassium hydroxide is getting used, this is added to the methanol-oil mix for the transesterfication.
Now in the Second reactor, the process is called transesterfication occurs. While in the third mixer, various outcomes from a reaction are biodiesel, glycerol and methanol solvent. It is being nullified by introducing a simple mineral acid. The alcohol being separated in flash vaporizer called as distillation unit. The condensed Vapors of methanol are sent to the reception unit for introducing again in the cycle.
Now the remaining products in the flash vaporizer namely, biodiesel, glycerol, salts and water, are sent to continuous decanter, which separate biodiesel from rest of the by-products. The light phase which is getting created in the decanter is en tot the storage tank and remaining heavy phase is sent to another storage tank for latter purification. After this phase, it contains 80 to 90% pure glycerol, water and salts.
Biodiesel and glycerin purification ca be done in high vacuum evaporators. There is typical design called as wiped film evaporator, where products used to be clearly differentiated from various salts by thermal as well as mechanical methods.
The quantity of raw material which is required to produce 1000kg of biodiesel and 112 kg of glycerol.
It requires 1030kg of refined vegetable oil. It requires 103kg of Methanol. Catalyst of quantity 6.2kg used in process of biodiesel is sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. Mineral acid required quantity is 6kg
There are some other services which should be make available like,
Cooling water service 20m
Electricity required 50KWh
Nitrogen required 3.2m
If you are making biodiesel at home, you should use any triglyceride fat or animal tallow or vegetable oil. You should have a strong base namely, sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, also pure alcohol. You should have longer chain alcohol; it must be longer than isopropyl alcohol. You can use oil for processing which is often obtained in restaurants.
There are different methods for producing biodiesel. It is generally produced in small batch processors in the garage. But now some used to adapted processors to fit at the back of vans. It is transportable. One of the major difficulty being Dealt by various biodiesel homebrewers is just to make a mid scale biodiesel processors sufficiently very simple to cheap, safe and easy to make appropriate.