Mississippi State Biodiesel Production Project

Abstract

Executive SummaryMunicipal wastewater treatment plants in the United States produce over 6.2 million metric tons of dried sewage sludge every year. This microorganism rich sludge is often land filled or used as fertilizer. Recent restrictions on the use of sewage sludge, however, have resulted in increased disposal problems. Extraction of lipids from sludge yields an untapped source of cheap feedstock for biodiesel production. Solvents used for extraction in this study include n-hexane, methanol, acetone, and supercritical CO 2 .Gravimetric yield of oil was low for non-polar solvents but addition of polar solvents gave a considerably increased yield. However, the percent of saponifiable material was less. Extraction of lipids with a mixture of n-hexane, methanol, and acetone gave the largest conversion to biodiesel for a solvent system, 4.41% based on total dry weight of sludge. In Situ transesterification of dried sludge resulted in a yield of 6.23%. Assuming a 10% dry weight yield of FAMEs the amount of biodiesel available for production in the United States is 1.4 million cubic meters per year. Outfitting 50% of municipal wastewater plants for lipid extraction and transesterification could result in enough biodiesel production to replace 0.5% of the national petroleum diesel demand (0.7 million cubic meters).Other sources of lipids investigated were Black mustard, birdseed rape, canola, Camelina, Crambe, flax, and Hesperis. These plants were selected based on their oil content and their capability to grow in the US Southeast. Genetic procedures were developed to increase the oil content of these plants. Of the species investigated, canola, sunflower, and okra have the greatest potential. However, it should be noted that even 4 record yields of all the crops mentioned above will not come close to fully replacing the U.S. need for oil/petroleum. Extraction procedures were developed to recover nutritional components, such as omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), from oil and biodiesel. Additionally, a method was developed to isolate another value added product, Vitamin E, from oils. The methods developed were based on differences in binding between polyunsaturated fatty acid methyl esters and the transition metal ions.More than 90% EPA was recovered using AgBF4/SiO2•Im+•PF6¯. After a consecutive two-step stripping by ethyl ether and then 1-hexene, the concentration of EPA increased from 7% in the feed stock solution to about 90% in the 1-hexene stripping solvent. After five recycles, the sorbent is still usable.Ordered mesoporous adsorbents were prepared by physically coating functionalized ionic liquids onto mesoporous silica gel. These adsorbents were successfully applied to the selective extraction and separation of vitamin E from a model mixture of soybean oil deodorizer distillate. Five adsorbent recycle tests showed good reusability of this ionic liquid-modified mesoporous adsorbent.Another approach to improve the overall economic feasibility of biodiesel production...

Biodistillate Transportation Fuels 1. Production and Properties

“…(89) With modest upgrading, glycerol can be used as an animal feed. Numerous approaches are also being investigated to use glycerol as a feedstock for the production of higher-value chemicals, including 1,3-propanediol, (90,91) epichlorohydrin, (92) propylene glycol, (93,94) and numerous other 3-carbon molecules. (89) One recent report describes use of glycerol as feedstock for a steam reforming process to produce hydrogen.…”

Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Improved and Local Accessions of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus and Abelmoschus callei) Using RAPD Markers

“…It is known for its high antioxidants content [3], series of culinary uses and industrial applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries [4]. Besides these, Okra has even been reported to be a good source of biofuel [5]. It is therefore an economic crop which is yet to be fully tapped though greatly cultivated in Nigeria.…”