SBIR-STTR Award

This research will develop and demonstrate the feasibility of preparing reusable and recoverable solid, porous acid and base catalysts for biodiesel production using activated carbon generated from agricultural and forestry residues (i.e., a sustainable biomass). These new catalysts will greatly reduce amounts of waste pollutants that are generated compared to current methodology that uses sodium and potassium hydroxide and generates more pollutants than biodiesel product. The new catalysts also will enable biodiesel to be made from low-cost oils that contain 5 percent or more of free fatty acids, such as animal fats. Free fatty acids that are prevalent in low-quality fats and oils (e.g., yellow grease and/or rendered fat) will be converted to their methyl esters using an acidic, immobilized solid-phase reusable catalyst made from pyrolytic char that is derived from waste agricultural and forestry biomass (e.g., peanut hulls, pecan shells, and pine chips). In addition, current transesterification technology using homogeneous base catalysts such as sodium hydroxide in stoichiometric amounts will be replaced with an alkaline, immobilized solid-phase reusable catalyst made from waste agricultural and forestry biomass. Representative low-quality fats and oils also will be converted to biodiesel using the new catalysts. The catalysts will be recovered and reused to determine if catalytic decay occurs. The quality of the biodiesel produced from the reactions using the new biomass catalysts will be measured using key analytical methods specified in ASTM D6751 standard specification for biodiesel fuel. The results will determine if a biodiesel process based on the synthesized catalysts is feasible and provide a basis for scale-up. Supplemental

Keywords:
small business, SBIR, EPA, biodiesel, low-cost oil, new catalyst, catalyst, reusable catalyst, agricultural residue, forestry residue, biodiesel production, sustainable biomass, waste pollutants, sodium, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, animal fats, free fatty acids, low-quality fat, low-quality oil, yellow grease, rendered fat, methyl ester, solid-phase, pyrolytic char, agricultural biomass, forestry biomass, peanut hulls, pecan shells, pine chips, transesterification technology, homogeneous base catalysts, immobilized, reuse, catalytic decay, synthesized catalysts

Down to Earth Energy will scale up and commercialize reusable and recoverable solid, porous acid and base catalysts for biodiesel production using biochar generated from agricultural and forestry residues (i.e., a sustainable biomass). The Phase I feasibility study using an acid catalyst made from biochar (peanut hulls, pine pellets, and pine chips) showed high efficiency methylation of fats and oils containing more than 11 percent free fatty acids (average of 98.4% ± 0.27% conversion at 65°C in 2 hours with acidic pine char). Scale-up of this new catalyst will have the greatest impact on commercialization because it will enable biodiesel to be made from inexpensive feedstocks like yellow grease, rendered fats, and other low quality fats and oils. Very recently, continuing its research beyond Phase I, Down to Earth Energy developed a novel base functionalized biochar from peanut hulls that is efficient for catalytic transesterification (100% conversion in 3 hours at 65°C). The use of a base catalyst will greatly reduce amounts of waste pollutants that are generated compared to current methodology that uses sodium or potassium hydroxide and generates more pollutants than biodiesel product. First year activities will focus on: (1) optimizing production of the acid and base catalysts, (2) optimizing recovery and reuse of the acid and base catalysts, and (3) the design and development of pilot-scale, continuous-flow catalyst test beds. Scale-up research and commercialization activities will occur concurrently with the optimization of production and reuse of the two chars, and will involve reactor design specifications for batched slurry and continuous fixed-bed configurations; the effect of free fatty acid concentration, temperature, flow rate, and particle size on kinetics and reaction rates; and determination of optimal char volumes at practical industrial flow rates. Char production and engineering partnerships also will be formalized and production of the acid catalyst using a gaseous functionalization reagent will be evaluated in place of the current liquid phase production methods. Supplemental

Keywords:
small business, SBIR, EPA, biofuels, vehicle emissions reduction, acid catalyst, biomass, biochar, biodiesel, fatty acid, base catalyst, catalyst test beds, alternative fuel, sustainability, renewable energy, sustainable biomass, reusable solid acid catalyst, reusable solid base catalyst, agricultural residue, forestry residue