JP2008106097A - Apparatus and method for producing biodiesel fuel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for producing a biodiesel fuel (BDF) by which the yield of the biodiesel fuel can be improved while suppressing the formation of glycerol of a byproduct while enabling the reduction of the size and cost of the apparatus to be achieved; and to provide a method for producing the biodiesel fuel. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus 10 for producing the BDF is equipped with a reactor 16 for carrying out a methanolysis reaction of an animal or vegetable oil and fat or a waste oil thereof with methanol in a supercritical state, and the reactor 16 has a stirring means 16A for stirring the mixture comprising the animal or vegetable oil and fat or the waste oil thereof and the methanol. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a biodiesel fuel production apparatus and biodiesel fuel production method using animal and vegetable oils or fats or waste cooking oil thereof and methanol.

  In recent years, biodiesel fuel (BDF) has been attracting attention as a diesel fuel used in vehicles, ships, and the like due to increasing awareness of environmental protection. This biodiesel fuel can be produced by subjecting triacylglycerol, which is the main component of animal and vegetable fats and oils and its waste edible oil, to a transesterification reaction (hereinafter referred to as methanolysis reaction) with methanol. Catalysts such as alkali catalysts and acid catalysts can be produced. The catalytic method used is common. However, in this catalytic method, since the catalyst is mixed in the reaction product, there are problems that neutralization of the product, washing and purification of the washing water are required, and glycerin is produced.

In order to solve such problems, a production method using a supercritical fluid has been proposed as a production method of biodiesel fuel that does not use a catalyst (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-60591 A

  However, in the production method described in Patent Document 1, since the raw materials are mixed by the flow of the supercritical fluid itself, a tubular reaction tube having a sufficient length for the methanolysis reaction is required. There was a limit to cost reduction.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the apparatus, while suppressing the generation of glycerin as a by-product, and the yield of biodiesel fuel. It is an object of the present invention to provide a biodiesel fuel production apparatus and biodiesel fuel production method by a supercritical method capable of improving the fuel efficiency.

The present invention intends to solve the above problems by the following means.
(1) The present invention comprises a reactor for methanolysis reaction of animal and vegetable oil or fat or its waste edible oil and methanol in a supercritical state, and the reactor comprises the animal and vegetable oil or fat or its waste edible oil and methanol It is a biodiesel fuel production apparatus provided with the stirring means which stirs the mixture which consists of these.
(2) The present invention also includes a heat exchanger for cooling the reaction mixture discharged from the reactor by heat exchange with the mixture before flowing into the reactor, and a reaction cooled by the heat exchanger. The biodiesel fuel production apparatus according to (1), further comprising a gas-liquid separator that vaporizes the mixture to separate biodiesel fuel and unreacted methanol.
(3) The present invention also includes first storage means for storing the animal and vegetable oil or fat or waste edible oil thereof, first suction means for sucking the animal and vegetable oil or fat or waste food oil stored in the first storage means, Second storage means for storing the animal and vegetable oil or fat or its waste edible oil sucked by one suction means, and second suction means for sucking the animal and vegetable oil or its waste edible oil stored in the second storage means and sending it to the reactor The biodiesel fuel production apparatus according to (1) or (2), further comprising:
(4) The present invention also provides the biodiesel fuel production apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the mixture is heated to 400 ° C. or higher and then stirred by the stirring means. is there.
(5) The present invention is also a biodiesel fuel production method characterized in that a methanolysis reaction is performed by stirring animal and vegetable oil or fat or waste edible oil thereof and methanol in a supercritical state.

  According to the biodiesel fuel production apparatus and the biodiesel fuel production method according to the present invention, unlike the conventional apparatus, it is not necessary to provide a tubular reaction tube having a sufficient length for the methanolysis reaction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the apparatus. Moreover, by forcibly stirring the raw material by the stirring means, generation of glycerin as a by-product can be suppressed and the yield of biodiesel fuel can be improved.

  The reaction mixture discharged from the reactor is cooled by heat exchange with the mixture before flowing into the reactor, and the reaction mixture cooled by the heat exchanger is vaporized to bioreact. If a gas-liquid separator that separates diesel fuel and unreacted methanol is further provided, a cooler provided in many conventional super-diesel biodiesel fuel production apparatuses is not required. In addition to reducing the size and cost, the reaction mixture can be cooled by using it for heating the mixture, and the heating energy can be reduced.

  The first suction means for storing the animal or vegetable oil or fat or its waste edible oil, the first suction means for sucking the animal or vegetable oil or fat or its waste edible oil stored in the first storage means, and the first suction means. A second storage means for storing the animal or vegetable oil or fat or its waste edible oil; and a second suction means for sucking the animal or vegetable oil or fat or its waste edible oil stored in the second storage means and sending it to the reactor. For example, even if the viscosity of the animal or vegetable oil or its waste edible oil changes depending on the type of oil or the climate, the first suction means and the second storage means are between the first storage means and the second suction means. Therefore, the supply amount to the reactor does not fluctuate greatly, and the mixture can be stably supplied to the reactor.

  Further, if the mixture is heated to 400 ° C. or higher and then stirred by the stirring means, the methanolysis reaction can be caused to proceed uniformly, and the generation of glycerin can be more reliably suppressed.

  Hereinafter, a biodiesel fuel production apparatus (hereinafter, simply referred to as “BDF production apparatus”) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a BDF manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.

  The BDF manufacturing apparatus 10 includes an oil supply unit 12 that supplies animal and plant fats and oils or waste edible oil thereof (hereinafter simply referred to as “oil”), a methanol supply unit 14 that supplies methanol, and these oil supply units 12. And a reactor 16 that stirs the oil and methanol supplied from the methanol supply unit 14 and performs a methanolysis reaction in a supercritical state, a heat exchanger 18 that cools the reaction mixture discharged from the reactor 16, and the heat exchange. In particular, a gas-liquid separator 20 that separates BDF and unreacted methanol from the reaction mixture cooled by the vessel 18, and a condenser 22 that recovers the unreacted methanol separated by the gas-liquid separator 20 are illustrated. Although it is not, it is comprised with the heating apparatus which heats a reactor. The “biodiesel fuel manufacturing apparatus” according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG.

  The oil supply unit 12 includes an oil tank 12A for storing oil, a first pump 12B for sucking oil from the oil tank 12A, and a storage chamber for temporarily storing oil sucked by the first pump 12B. 12C and 2nd pump 12D which attracts | sucks the oil stored by this storage chamber 12C, and sends it out to the reactor 16 and is comprised. Examples of oil stored in the oil tank 12A include vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil, canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and safflower oil, and animal oils such as pork fat (lard) and beef fat. And animal and vegetable oils and fats (waste cooking oil) discarded after use in cooking at home, restaurants, fast food stores, bento manufacturing plants, etc. It is not limited to these.

  The methanol supply unit 14 includes a methanol tank 14A for storing methanol, and a third pump 14B that sucks methanol from the methanol tank 14A and sends it to the reactor 16.

  The reactor 16 includes stirring means 16A for stirring a mixture composed of oil supplied from the oil supply unit 12 and methanol supplied from the methanol supply unit 14. As the stirring means 16A, a device that stirs while conveying the mixture in a specific direction by rotation (for example, screw, auger), a device that stirs with a blade attached to a rotating shaft (for example, paddle, stirring blade), a rotating shaft It is preferable to stir the mixture by mechanical means, such as a bar member attached to a bar (for example, a stir bar), and more preferably the number of rotations is variable.

  The reactor 16 stirs the mixture by the stirring means 16A and causes the methanol and methanol to undergo a methanolysis reaction in a supercritical state. The mixing ratio of oil and methanol is not particularly limited, but the volume ratio of oil to methanol is preferably in the range of 1: 2 to 2: 1. The reaction conditions for the methanolysis reaction are not particularly limited, but in order to allow the methanolysis reaction to proceed uniformly and suppress the production of glycerin as a by-product, the mixture is heated to 400 ° C. or higher and then stirred with the stirring means 16. preferable.

  The heat exchanger 18 is for causing heat exchange between the mixture before flowing into the reactor 16 and the reaction mixture discharged from the reactor 16. The reaction mixture heated in the reactor 16 is heated to a temperature (130 to 150 ° C.) by which the main composition of the reaction mixture (fatty acid methyl ester, monoacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, etc.) is not evaporated by the heat exchanger 18. It is cooled and sent to the gas-liquid separator 20.

  The inside of the gas-liquid separator 20 is depressurized to about 300 mmHg. The gas-liquid separator 20 includes a spray nozzle 20A that jets and vaporizes the reaction mixture cooled by the heat exchanger 18, and is sprayed into the gas-liquid separator 20 in a reduced pressure state by the spray nozzle 20A. The reaction mixture is further cooled by heat of vaporization and separated into BDF and unreacted methanol. In addition, unreacted methanol is sent to the condenser 22, cooled, and used again as a raw material for BDF.

  As described above, the BDF production apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is configured to include the reactor 16 that causes the methanolysis reaction of animal and vegetable oil or fat or waste cooking oil thereof and methanol in a supercritical state. In addition, since it is provided with stirring means 16A for stirring a mixture of animal and vegetable fats or oils or waste cooking oil thereof and methanol, a tubular reaction tube having a sufficient length for a methanolysis reaction is provided as in a conventional apparatus. There is no need. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the apparatus. In addition, by forcibly stirring the mixture by the stirring means 16A, generation of glycerin as a by-product can be suppressed and the yield of biodiesel fuel can be improved.

  Also, the heat exchanger 18 that cools the reaction mixture discharged from the reactor 16 by heat exchange with the mixture before flowing into the reactor 16, and the reaction mixture cooled by the heat exchanger 18 are vaporized. Since the gas-liquid separator 20 for separating the biodiesel fuel and the unreacted methanol is further provided, the cooler provided in many conventional biodiesel fuel production apparatuses by the supercritical method becomes unnecessary. Further, the reaction mixture can be cooled by using it for heating the mixture, and the heating energy can be reduced.

  Moreover, the 1st storage means (in this embodiment, oil tank) 12A which stores animal and vegetable fat or oil or its waste cooking oil, and the 1st suction means which sucks the animal and vegetable oil and fat or its waste cooking oil stored in the 1st storage means 12A (In this embodiment, a first pump) 12B, second storage means (in this embodiment, a storage chamber) 12C for storing animal and vegetable fats and oils or its waste cooking oil sucked by the first suction means 12B, 2 is further provided with second suction means (second pump in the present embodiment) 12D for sucking the animal and vegetable oil or fat or its waste edible oil stored in the storage means 12C and sending it to the reactor. Even when the viscosity of the edible oil changes depending on the type of oil, climate, etc., the first suction means 12B and the second storage means 12C are between the first storage means 12A and the second suction means 12D. Because it is kicked, without feed to the reactor largely varies, the raw material can be stably supplied to the reactor.

  Note that the biodiesel fuel production apparatus and the biodiesel fuel production method according to the present invention are not limited to the examples of the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course.

  Therefore, for example, in the above embodiment, the first suction unit 12B and the second storage unit 12C are provided between the first storage unit 12A and the second suction unit 12D. Can be provided stably, or when importance is placed on space saving, the first suction means 12B and the second storage means 12C are unnecessary.

  The biodiesel fuel production apparatus and biodiesel fuel production method of the present invention can be applied to the production of biodiesel fuel used as fuel for vehicles, ships, generators and the like.

It is a system block diagram of the biodiesel fuel manufacturing apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Biodiesel fuel manufacturing apparatus 12 Oil supply part 12A Oil tank 12B 1st pump 12C Reservoir 12D 2nd pump 14 Methanol supply part 14A Methanol tank 14B 3rd pump 16 Reactor 16A Stirring means 18 Heat exchanger 20 Gas-liquid separator 22 Condenser

Claims (5)

It has a reactor for methanolysis reaction of animal and vegetable oil or fat or its waste cooking oil and methanol in a supercritical state,
The reactor is
Characterized in that it comprises a stirring means for stirring the mixture of the animal and vegetable oil or fat or its waste cooking oil and the methanol,
Biodiesel fuel production equipment. A heat exchanger for cooling the reaction mixture discharged from the reactor by heat exchange with the mixture before flowing into the reactor;
A gas-liquid separator that vaporizes the reaction mixture cooled by the heat exchanger to separate biodiesel fuel and unreacted methanol,
The biodiesel fuel production apparatus according to claim 1. A first storage means for storing the animal or vegetable oil or fat or waste cooking oil thereof;
First suction means for sucking the animal or vegetable oil or its waste cooking oil stored in the first storage means;
Second storage means for storing the animal or vegetable oil or fat or its waste cooking oil sucked by the first suction means;
A second suction means for sucking the animal or vegetable oil or fat or its waste edible oil stored in the second storage means and sending it to the reactor,
The biodiesel fuel production apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The mixture is heated to 400 ° C. or higher and then stirred by the stirring means,
The biodiesel fuel manufacturing apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3. Characterized in that animal and vegetable oil or fat or its waste edible oil and methanol are stirred by a stirring means in a supercritical state to cause methanolysis reaction
Biodiesel production method.

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