Putting it cleverly together - Alfa Laval - Corporate to use Pre-clarification Degumming Adsorption...

Putting it cleverly together

Alfa Laval process technology and equipment for biodiesel plants

4 Alfa Laval solutions for biodiesel production

Alternative energy sources that lower CO2

levels and minimize engine emissions are a

necessity for our planet. Biodiesel plays an

important role as a transportation fuel in the

world’s renewable energy portfolio, while at the

same time promoting agricultural development.

Alfa Laval’s offer in biodiesel pre-treatment and

production is designed to help you become

part of this growing industry.

Alfa Laval solutions for biodiesel production 3

The natural choice for all your biodiesel needs

The beauty of biodiesel for the planet is that it’s a sustainable fuel source made from renewable raw materials that can replace fossil diesel. The beauty of biodiesel for you is its sustainable market growth. Alfa Laval has the process know-how, specialized equipment and experience to quickly get your plant pumping out profits – regardless of the type and quality of your feedstock or process.

Alfa Laval is continuously developing new and better systems and equipment to set the industry standards for tomorrow and keep your plant running at maximum efficiency today.

Expertise in vegetable oil processing Alfa Laval has been a worldwide leader in edible vegetable oil processing for more than half a century. That experience is a major asset in creating solutions for biodiesel feed pre-treatment as the processes are almost identical. So you can trust Alfa Laval to devise efficient and economical processes and select equipment that perfectly suits your requirements. Many biodiesel manu-facturers and plant builders across the world already have.

Your core equipment is our core competenceThe critical technologies for biodiesel processing from start to finish are heating, separation and mixing. Alfa Laval is the only company in the world that supplies all three. In fact, they represent our key technologies and our core competence.

Every item in Alfa Laval’s extensive port-folio of biodiesel equipment is designed for optimal performance. And because it’s all made by Alfa Laval, you know it will come together perfectly.

Local insight and strong support – everywhereWith sales offices and service centres around the globe, Alfa Laval has representatives that understand your language and needs wherever you are. And Alfa Laval’s Nonstop Performance offers can be tailored to the level of service that’s best for you.

Whatever your situation, Alfa Laval has all the tools and people to help put your plant together and keep it running strong.

Pre-treatment Alcohol recovery

Biodiesel purification

Glycerine purification

Transesterification


Solutions for feedstock pre-treatmentGiven the large variety of raw materials and their varying quality, a well designed pre-treatment process is imperative for an efficient and profitable biodiesel plant. In some cases, a simple pre-clarification step using a decanter to remove insoluble impurities is all you need. But in most cases pre-clarification alone is insufficient. Typically, two main compounds need to be removed: gums and free fatty acids (FFA). Two different processing routes can be used to perform these tasks. These are called chemical refining and physical refining. The choice of route depends on the type and variety of raw materials as well as the capital and operating costs.

Alfa Laval can help you evaluate which is the best solution.

Feedstock pre-treatment for biodiesel is derived from processes used in the edible fats and oils industries. These are all processes that Alfa Laval has been helping customers with for generations. Chemical refining Chemical refining first conditions the oil with acid to prepare gums for removal. Next, FFA are neutralized with caustic soda. The resulting mixture is sent to a disc stack centrifuge where the impurities are removed and the result is an oil virtually free of FFA and gums. The oil is further cleaned by mixing it with water and then performing another

separation with a disc stack centrifuge. Optionally, an adsorption step with silica and/or bleaching earth can be used to complete the final step.

Physical refining Physical refining begins with a degum-ming stage. A variety of degumming processes exist, some to remove only hydratable gums and some to remove non-hydratable gums. Degumming for pre-treatment before biodiesel production removes both types of gums to the minimum level. After degumming, washing or adsorption is used to further lower gum content. Finally, de-acidification, a physical, steam stripping process, is used to remove the FFA.

Put Alfa Laval’s pre-treatment expertise to use

Pre-clarification

Degumming

Adsorption

Degumming /Neutralization

Washing

Washing

Chemical refining

Physical refining

De-acidification

Raw material Pre-treated oil

The pre-treatment process


The best way for youThe cost-effectiveness and efficiency of a biodiesel plant are closely linked to the design of the pre-treatment process line. Your ideal solution will always be based on your own exact specifications. Alfa Laval is uniquely equipped to meet your demands. We know our vast range of equipment inside and out, allowing us to optimize a solution for you. When it comes to engineering know-how, Alfa Laval is unmatched. And the results are guaranteed.

Main considerations when choosing between chemical and physical pre-treatment

Chemical• Generally for lower FFA

feedstocks• Lower capital investment• Smaller installation space• Generally less valuable

by-products• Good feedstock flexibility

Physical• Generally for higher FFA

feedstocks• Higher capital investment• Larger installation space• Generally higher

value by-products• Excellent feedstock flexibility


Optimized equipment for biodiesel separationWith the widest range of centrifuges in the industry, Alfa Laval can meet all your separation needs.

Based on the successful Alfa Laval PX range of vegetable-oil pre-treatment centrifuges, the BD range is adapted to the demands of biodiesel production. For example, all BD centrifuges are ATEX approved for use in explosion-hazardous areas. Standard systems for inert gas blanketing are also available.

Ease of installation and maintenance is always a main consideration when Alfa Laval designs a new product.

For example, the BD separator systems are all designed for one-floor installation, which reduces the cost of installation and makes operation and maintenance easier.

Efficient transesterification keeps profits rolling inTransesterification, the heart of the biodiesel process, calls for efficient separation of glycerine from biodiesel. Alfa Laval disc stack centrifuges for biodiesel provide efficient separation with minimum product loss during discharge, along with low energy and utility consumption. BD centrifuges are always reliable and safe – whether conditions are hazardous or not.

Lower costs with efficient water removalAlfa Laval BD disc stack centrifuges ensure maximum water removal. This significantly reduces the heat load in the subsequent biodiesel drying, so energy consumption is minimized and savings maximized. Another feature of the BD machines is a system for variable discharge volumes, which increases the overall yield and maximizes profits.

No need to slow downAny time the line shuts down your profits shrink. With Alfa Laval’s separators, there’s no halt in production. Alfa Laval disc stack centrifuges efficiently remove particles – with no need to shut down your process line for cleaning or filter replacement. Particle content is reduced and the line keeps moving.

Your specialized separation and heat transfer equipment expert

Transesterification

Biodiesel purification

Glycerine purification

Alcohol/water/fatty acid recovery

Biodiesel

Glycerine

Salt

Pre-treated oil

The biodiesel process


Increase yield and by-product quality at the same time Separating out the components in effluents like salt, fatty acids and glycerine will boost the yield of the plant and improve the quality of the by-products. With our decanter centri-fuges you can separate out two or three phases with high efficiency and low power consumption. All of our decanters are optimized not only for performance, but safety as well.

Building trust in Brazil

Caramuru Alimentos in Itumbiara, Brazil had been working with Alfa Laval for more than 15 years when they decided to enter the biodiesel market. The decision of where to get their separators and thermal equipment was easy.

“Alfa Laval had already helped us build a vegetable oil refinery and we were very pleased with its performance. And their service and support were outstanding – they were always there to help. We knew where to go for our biodiesel equipment.”

Donato Miranda – Industrial Director

Highly efficient energy and space consumptionAlfa Laval heat exchangers provide optimal efficiency for evaporating methanol and/or water. Our expertise in designing thermal solutions not only gives you the performance you need, but the exchangers are made so compact you will save on space and lower installation costs – without sacrificing heat recovery.

Flexible thermal solutionsAlfa Laval has the components to meet any heating requirements. For easy maintenance and operating flexibility, you can choose the gasketed plate heat exchanger – or for top-notch chemical resistance and high temperatures, go for the fusion bonded AlfaNova™ plate heat exchanger.

Reduce glycerine-purification costsRecovering glycerine is energy intensive. But Alfa Laval compact heat exchangers and evaporators will keep the lid on heating costs. And because they’re so efficient, you can use lower quality heating and cooling media to optimize heat economy.

Keep methanol recovery on the right trackThe Alfa Laval compact heat exchanger is also highly efficient for the reboilers and condensers used in methanol distillation. Long experience in designing these plate heat exchangers guarantees the most economic solution for any boiling or condensation task.

Alfa Laval heat exchangers offer savings in boiling and condensation

• Heat transfer up to 300% moreefficient than traditional shell-and-tube condensers

• Efficient sub-cooling of noncondensable inerts, thusminimizing the need for secondary condensers

• Compact design and lowweight allow for mounting ina wide range of previouslyinaccessible locations

• Demonstrated technical superiority in many biodiesel production installations

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The products that make it all possible

Decanter centrifugesAlfa Laval decanter centrifuges com-bine high efficiency with the ability to handle higher solid concentrations for separation. These units are available fully automated and require very little supervision. The wide Alfa Laval range also includes gastight, explosion-proof 3-phase separation models.

Disc stack centrifugesThe Alfa Laval range of disc stack cen-trifuges have a capacity of up to 1,200 tonnes per day. With their outstanding performance and reliability, these centri-fuges set the standard for the vegetable oil industry.

The PX range for pre-treatment and the BD range for biodiesel feature hermetic inlet technology. This gently accelerates the feedstock which leads to superior separation. The hermetic inlets together with a variable frequency drive minimize power consumption. And everything you need for both operation and control of the machines is included – just install and run.

The PX range is also equipped with the unique Alfa Laval Centrizoom™ adjustable paring disc. This lets you process a wide range of gums and soapstocks and make rapid adjustment via remote control.

MixersAlfa Laval has long experience in handling a wide range of mixing requirements – from gentle “hydration-mixing” to high-intensity mixing. The range of MX mixers is based on the MicroMerge™ concept. This features separate chambers for dispersion and mixing for effective mixing and efficient use of additives. Combined with a variable frequency drive, this gives you unmatched flexibility in all mixing tasks.


Meeting demands in Germany

Rapsveredelung Vorpommern in Malchin, Germany needed a heat exchanging solution for their biodiesel plant that produced 37,000 tonnes per year. Alfa Laval custom made a cost and energy efficient plate heat exchanger system for their specific needs.

“We had seen that plate heat exchangers are an excellent, compact solution from previous projects. On this project we needed specially selected materials that could handle extremely aggressive media. Alfa Laval sorted it all out.”

Peter Horka – Project Manager

Standard plate heat exchangersAlfa Laval has the widest range of plate heat exchangers available. With fully countercurrent flow and high turbulence, these compact units can handle any thermal task. They are easily extendable and require minimal investment. Full access to the heat-transfer surfaces keeps service and maintenance costs low. A wide range of materials is available to match any corrosion or compatibility requirement.

Laser-welded plate heat exchangersCompabloc is a laser-welded plate heat exchanger that provides a versatile solution. It can be used as a liquid-to-liquid exchanger, interchanger, reboiler, condenser, evaporator and steam heater. With no gaskets between the plates, Compabloc is perfect for operation in chemically aggressive environments and for handling high-temperature fluids.

Fusion-bonded plate heat exchangersAlfaFusion™ is a unique, patented bonding technology that has resulted in a new class of plate heat exchangers. AlfaNova™ fusion-bonded plate heat exchangers have no gaskets in contact with process media. Which makes these 100% stainless steel units ideal for high-pressure and high-temperature tasks and media incom-patible with gaskets.

Plate evaporatorsThe AlfaVap plate evaporator is especially well suited for the evaporation of viscous media thanks to its rising film technique. This leads to higher heat transfer with less heating surface, so you get a smaller and cheaper solution. And just by adding more cassettes, its capacity can be increased, making AlfaVap exceptionally flexible and efficient.


Keeping your plant up and running at peak performance is essential for the success of your business. That boils down to support. Alfa Laval sees service as a lifelong commitment to optimizing your plant’s performance. This means both being on hand whenever you need us as well as predictive maintenance for optimal uptime. The Nonstop Performance service offer is designed to do just that.

Nonstop PerformanceOur service offer is structured into four levels of performance agreements. They range from the One Star level covering basic needs, up to the comprehensive Four Star level where we function as your long-term performance partner. You decide which level is best.

We appreciate that each plant is unique. Whatever level of service you need, we work with you to tailor a package that is right for you.

Global service – locallyWith over 50 Service Centres world-wide manned with highly trained personnel you can be sure you’ll get the service you need – when you need it.

Alfa Laval’s global spare parts distri-bution network is unmatched by any other supplier. That means you get parts faster and cheaper. And keep production rolling round the clock.

Comprehensive support to keep production rolling

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Alfa Laval in brief Alfa Laval is a leading global pro vider of specialized products and engineered solutions.

Our equipment, systems and services are dedicated to helping customers to optimize the performance of their processes. Time and time again.

We help our customers to heat, cool, separate and transport pro-ducts such as oil, water, chemicals, beverages, foodstuffs, starch and pharmaceuticals.

Our worldwide organization works closely with customers in almost 100 countries to help them stay ahead.

How to contact Alfa Laval Up-to-date Alfa Laval contact details for all countries are always available on our website at www.alfalaval.com

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Putting it cleverly together - Alfa Laval - Corporate to use Pre-clarification Degumming Adsorption...

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