Biofuel Composition Enzymatic Transesterification Lubricity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing biofuel technologies face challenges in achieving optimal lubricity, cetane number, and cold flow properties, while also failing to meet international quality fuel standards for use in diesel engines, particularly with hydrocarbon-based fuels.
Innovation Solution
A process involving enzymatic transesterification of fatty acid alkyl esters with glycerol formal to produce fatty acid glycerol esters (FAGE), combined with acetal mixtures and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), using immobilized lipolytic enzymes to enhance biofuel performance, including the addition of glycerol formal/methoxy methyl glycerol formal (GFoMoM) to improve cold flow, viscosity, and stability properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If HVO is used as a renewable diesel fuel, then the carbon footprint is reduced, but the lubricity becomes very low due to the absence of sulfur and oxygen compounds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines HVO with FAME/FAGE biodiesel blends to create a composite fuel composition. The FAME/FAGE component provides lubricity through its oxygen compounds while HVO provides low carbon footprint, achieving both benefits simultaneously in the blended fuel system
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite fuel material by blending HVO with FAME and FAGE esters in specific ratios. This composite approach allows the fuel to exhibit properties of both components: the renewable characteristics and low emissions of HVO combined with the lubricity-enhancing oxygen compounds from the ester blend
2Reliability
If FAGE is produced to improve certain fuel properties, then the cold flow properties deteriorate when compared to FAME
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a heterogeneous blend where FAME and FAGE esters coexist in specific proportions (70-30 to 90-10 wt%). Each component maintains its local properties: FAME provides good cold flow characteristics while FAGE contributes other desired fuel properties, allowing the overall system to achieve optimal performance without requiring uniform composition
3Productivity
If enzymatic transesterification is used to produce FAGE, then the process efficiency is improved, but the process complexity increases due to enzyme immobilization requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses immobilized enzymes as intermediaries to catalyze the transesterification reaction. The enzyme immobilization on solid supports acts as a mediator that enables efficient catalysis while facilitating easy separation and reuse, reducing the complexity of downstream processing despite the added step of enzyme immobilization
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements enzyme recovery and reuse through immobilization technology. After catalysis, the immobilized enzymes can be easily separated from the reaction mixture and recovered for multiple reuse cycles, transforming a potential waste stream into a recoverable asset and reducing overall process complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resulting biofuel composition demonstrates improved lubricity, reduced particle and total hydrocarbon emissions, and meets international quality fuel standards, making it suitable for use in diesel engines without blending with mineral diesel.
Implementation Method 1
reacting a fatty acid alkyl ester of formula (II) or a source of fatty acid alkyl esters of formula (II) with glycerol formal in the presence of an immobilised lipolytic enzyme, to obtain fatty acid glycerol formal ester (FAGE) of formula (I)
Implementation Method 2
The chemical reaction disclosed in EP2730567 is mediated by a Titanium catalyst, thus not being an enzymatically driven reaction
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a process for preparing a biofuel composition, the biofuel composition obtainable by the process and the use of the biofuel. More specifically, the present invention is related to a process for producing, biofuel defined by a blend of fatty acid formal glycerol ester (FAGE) /fatty acid alkyl ester/acetal mixture/hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), the process being characterized by an enzymatic transesterification of fatty acid alkyl esters with glycerol formal and by the specific rates of the different components. The invention is also directed to the biofuel compositions obtained by said process as well as to the uses thereof.