Promoting the industrialization of biodiesel by enzyme method

Recently, it was learned from Tsinghua University that the pilot test of a new process, which is simple in operation and can effectively convert animal and vegetable oils to biodiesel under normal temperature and pressure, was successful The new process of biodiesel production by enzyme method developed by the laboratory of renewable resources and bioenergy of the university provides an ideal way for the industrial production of biodiesel The yield of biodiesel in the pilot plant with the new process is more than 90% The biodiesel samples produced by the pilot plant have been tested by the Research Institute of petroleum and chemical engineering of Sinopec Group, and the technical indexes of the products meet the biodiesel standards of the United States and Germany, and the No.0 superior diesel standard of China The engine bench test shows that the concentration of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, smoke and other major toxic components in the exhaust gas of the engine is significantly reduced, and the dynamic characteristics of the engine are basically the same compared with the commercial petrochemical diesel Biodiesel is a kind of renewable and clean energy which is made of oil-bearing plant, animal oil and waste edible oil At present, chemical catalytic transesterification is the main process of biodiesel production Chemical method has the disadvantages of high equipment investment, acid or alkali discharge and high energy consumption Due to the advantages of mild reaction conditions, small amount of alcohol and no pollutant emission, more and more attention has been paid to the biological enzyme method However, there are some problems such as methanol and by-product glycerin affecting the activity and stability of the enzyme, short life of the enzyme, high cost, etc., which have become the bottleneck of the industrial production of diesel oil by the biological enzyme method In this regard, the laboratory of renewable resources and bioenergy of the Department of chemical engineering of Tsinghua University put forward a new production process, which can effectively eliminate the negative effects of methanol and by-product glycerin on the activity and stability of enzyme reaction, and greatly extend the life of enzyme It is understood that the process has been successfully applied in the pilot plant of 200 kg / day biodiesel of Hunan Haina Baichuan Bioengineering Co., Ltd and biodiesel is produced from rapeseed oil The reactor of the pilot plant operated continuously for more than three months, and the enzyme activity did not show a significant decline trend In addition, glycerol, a byproduct of biodiesel production, can be further converted into 1,3-propanediol, a high value-added product, by using the existing technology The combination of the two technologies can significantly improve the economic benefits of the biodiesel production process.