Tiny Reactor Boosts Biodiesel Production

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Tiny Reactor Boosts Biodiesel Production

By WILLIAM McCALL (AP Business Writer)

From Associated Press

April 19, 2006 12:46 PM EDT

 

PORTLAND, Ore. - A tiny chemical reactor that can convert vegetable oil

directly into biodiesel could help farmers turn some of their crops into

homegrown fuel to operate agricultural equipment instead of relying on

costly imported oil.

 

" This is all about producing energy in such a way that it liberates

people, " said Goran Jovanovic, a chemical engineering professor at

Oregon State University who developed the microreactor.

 

The device - about the size of a credit card - pumps vegetable oil and

alcohol through tiny parallel channels, each smaller than a human hair,

to convert the oil into biodiesel almost instantly.

 

By comparison, it takes more than a day to produce biodiesel with

current technology.

 

Conventional production involves dissolving a catalyst, such as sodium

hydroxide, in alcohol, then stirring it into vegetable oil in large vats

for about two hours. The mixture then has to sit for 12 to 24 hours

while a slow chemical reaction forms biodiesel along with glycerin, a

byproduct.

 

The glycerin is separated and can be used to make other products, such

as soaps, but it still contains the chemical catalyst, which must be

neutralized and removed using hydrochloric acid, a long and costly

process.

 

The microreactor under development by the university and the Oregon

Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute eliminates the mixing, the

standing time and maybe even the need for a catalyst.

 

" If we're successful with this, nobody will ever make biodiesel any

other way, " Jovanovic said.

 

The device is small, but it can be stacked in banks to increase

production levels to the volume required for commercial use, he said.

 

Biodiesel production on the farm also could reduce distribution costs by

eliminating the need for tanker truck fuel delivery, part of the growing

effort to meet fuel demand locally - instead of relying on distant

refineries and tanker transport.

 

" Distributed energy production means you can use local resources -

farmers can produce all the energy they need from what they grow on

their own farms, " Jovanovic said.

 

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

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The device - about the size of a credit card - pumps vegetable oil and

alcohol through tiny parallel channels, each smaller than a human hair,

to convert the oil into biodiesel almost instantly.

 

By comparison, it takes more than a day to produce biodiesel with

current technology.

 

 

 

[Dave:] My next vehicle will absolutely be a diesel. A well-cared-for

diesel vehicle can easily surpass half a million miles. Diesel engines can

run on straight vegetable oil, with no modification to the engine (you do

have to modify the fuel system slightly). The conversion can be done for

next-to-nothing with scrounged parts and a little mechanical ability, or you

can buy kits for less than $1000. There is no loss of performance, and a

slight increase in mileage. This works with turbodiesels as well. I know

two people who have done this. One drives a diesel Ford F350, the other an

ancient Dodge diesel ambulance.

 

There was no diesel fuel when Rudolf Diesel invented his engine to run on

peanut oil. During his career of promoting his invention, he made a went

through a couple of fortunes. He was lost overboard during a crossing of

the English channel in 1913. Some think his death was a suicide, since he

was a somewhat unstable and paranoid character. Many think otherwise.

Whatever caused him to fall overboard, his death was never solved, and

shortly thereafter the petroleum industry cemented its dominance in the fuel

industry.

 

There are many problems with biodiesel, and possibly this invention will

prove to be something of a breakthrough. At this point, the energy used in

producing biodiesel pretty much offsets the energy saved by using it as an

alternative fuel. The technology to remedy this exists, and is used in

third-world countries. In countries dominated by Big Oil however, there has

been very little incentive for companies to invest in alternate production

methods.

 

My friend with the ambulance gets most of his fuel for free from

restaurants. He runs the used oil through a 5-micron filter, and from there

it goes straight into the tank. The guy with the Ford is hooked up with

Willie Nelson and his biodiesel project. They hope to have several vegan

fuel stations open in the San Diego area within a couple of years.

 

 

 

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