Process for production of biodiesel

摘要

A process for continuous production of biodiesel from vegetable oils or animal fats by transesterification with methanol or ethanol to give crude fatty acid alkyl esters, subsequent washing with water in a wash column to remove water-soluble impurities, subsequent drying by vaporization of the water content and subsequent removal of steryl glycosides by adsorption onto calcium bentonite, wherein the adsorption column(s) used is/are regenerated in a first step, for desorption of the steryl glycosides, by rinsing with a mixture consisting of fatty acid alkyl esters and methanol or ethanol, and in a subsequent second step, for removal of methanol residues, by rinsing with fatty acid alkyl esters or with gaseous nitrogen or carbon dioxide.

主权项

1. A method for producing a fatty acid alkyl ester from a vegetable oil or animal fat, the method comprising:
(1) transesterifying a triglyceride comprised in the fat or oil with methanol or ethanol in the presence of an alkaline catalyst, to obtain a crude fatty acid alkyl ester; (2) subsequently, washing the crude fatty acid alkyl ester with water to remove a water-soluble impurity, to obtain a washed ester and a wash fraction; (3) subsequently, drying the washed ester by heating at atmospheric pressure or negative pressure, thereby reducing a water content of the washed ester, to obtain a dried ester; (4) subsequently, removing a dissolved stearyl glycoside present in the dried ester by adsorption in the presence of at least one adsorbent comprising a clay mineral; and (5) regenerating the at least one adsorbent, from a loaded absorbent, which is loaded with a loading composition comprising a stearyl glycoside, by treating the loaded absorbent with an ester-alcohol mixture comprising a fatty acid alkyl ester, a fatty acid alcohol, or a combination thereof.