Biodiesel and renewable diesel purification
and upgrading - serving customized adsorbents
and catalysts for any biofuel feedstock
The processing of biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel requires specialty adsorbents and catalysts for efficient, sustainable conversion in downstream production processes.
Clariant has developed a whole range of solutions to support bio- and renewable diesel producers along many steps of the value chain.
It is vital to have the right adsorbent for your feedstock type, process conditions and refining targets, since renewable feedstocks used for this application contain phosphorus and other contaminants that poison the catalyst.
Our advanced specialty adsorbents purify biodiesel and renewable diesel feedstocks, while our catalysts are engineered to enhance reaction efficiencies.
Different approaches in Bio- and renewable Diesel feestock purification process
Feedstocks for the production of hydrotreated vegetable oils(HVO) and fatty acid methyl esters(FAME) share common contaminants and the HVO pre-treatment process requires lower impurity levels to protect the hydrotreating catalyst.Moreover, alternative feedstocks, such as used cooking oil (UCO), animal fat, and palm oil mill effluent (POME), often contain phosphorus compounds and metal contaminants which make the adsorption process more complex.
With our Tonsil® RNF series specialty adsorbents, bio- and renewable fuel producers significantly enhance the efficiency and economics of their production process by removing harmful impurities, thus prolonging the lifetime and efficiency of the high value catalysts further downstream
Clariant experts in your region
Challenge
Oils contain a lot of undesired substances and impurities
Customized solutions for all purification needs
Clariant offers industry-leading specialty adsorbents with specific physical and chemical properties engineered to reliably remove a broad range of contaminants from various feedstock types, as described above.
Our renowned TONSIL® RNF brand includes an extensive selection of natural and activated bentonite bleaching clays designed to ensure the effective removal of impurities while minimizing feedstock losses and process disturbances. These specialty adsorbents are suitable for both pre-treatment of the feedstock (HVO, FAME) and post-treatment of the finished product (FAME).
At Clariant we are continuously developing solutions to address the increasing complexity posed by variability in renewable fuel feedstocks. Our technical experts can provide customized solutions to improve your processes and optimize your cost efficiency to give you peace of mind for your feedstock sourcing.
Contact us to see how Clariant can improve your biodiesel and renewable diesel purification process.
State-of-the-art catalysts to upgrade biofuels
For decades, Clariant's catalysts have been used for the distillate upgrading process with great success. Our catalysts help to make biodiesel into a premium product, thus making its production more economically attractive.
- NiSat® 310 - proven performance in aromatics reduction of low-sulfur feedstocks such as kerosene, diesel, base oils, white oils, and bright stocks. The catalyst allows cost-effective aromatic saturation to reduce the smoke point of low-sulfur jet-fuel blending components or increase the cetane number of ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) blending components. Furthermore, NiSat 310 RS can be used for the hydrogenation of vegetable oil to hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO).
- The isomerization catalyst HYSOPAR® 7000 can upgrade cold flow properties of hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), also known as renewable diesel.
- The dewaxing catalysts HYDEX® C, HYDEX® E, and HYDEX® G can be used for bio-feedstock coprocessing. Catalytic dewaxing is an important process to boost fuel quality, while minimizing costs and by-product formation.
TONSIL® bleaching earth
ENHANCED CONVERSION
Better reaction yields and longer catalyst life due to less poisoning
EFFECTIVE PURIFICATION
Provide catalyst protection through removal of contaminants and enhance the filtration process
FEEDSTOCK FLEXIBILITY
Large portfolio of solutions for purifying feedstocks and fuels.
EXCELLENT SERVICE
Experienced experts ready to assist you during start-up and operation
Clariant Catalysts
FEEDSTOCK FLEXIBILITY
Large portfolio of solutions for purifying feedstocks and fuels.
EFFECTIVE PURIFICATION
Highly efficient removal of many different types of contaminants
OPTIMUM OPERATION
Broad catalyst selection to save hydrogen and product yield
EXCELLENT SERVICE
Experienced experts ready to assist you during start-up and operation
Tonsil® in the Biodiesel process
Our best in class specialty adsorbents remove contaminants from feedstocks during pretreatment and from the reaction product during post-treatment.
Depending on downstream demands, they can be used in wet bleaching as well as dry bleaching while providing excellent filtration properties.
Contaminants removed in the Biodiesel process
PRETREATMENT
- Soaps and metals like phosphorus to prevent processing and catalyst issues
POST-TREATMENT
- Free glycerin to prevent »reversion« during demethylation and other issues
- Excess catalyst that can cause injector deposits and/or filter plugging
- High acidity leading to shorter shelf life and deposits in fuel systems
- Excess alcohol able to cause injector failure and safety issues
- Sterol glucosides and monoglycerides (particularly saturated ones)
Contaminants removed in the Biodiesel process
PRETREATMENT
- Soaps and metals like phosphorus to prevent processing and catalyst issues
POST-TREATMENT
- Free glycerin to prevent »reversion« during demethylation and other issues
- Excess catalyst that can cause injector deposits and/or filter plugging
- High acidity leading to shorter shelf life and deposits in fuel systems
- Excess alcohol able to cause injector failure and safety issues
- Sterol glucosides and monoglycerides (particularly saturated ones)
Tonsil® in the renewable Diesel process
While the reaction product is a true hydrocarbon not needing post-treatment, our adsorbents fulfill the essential role of purifying feedstocks in pretreatment to prevent catalyst poisoning and other issues (as they do in the biodiesel process).
Contaminants removed in the renewable Diesel process
PRETREATMENT
- Phosphatides like lecithin and phosphatidylinosit to prevent catalyst poisoning
- Particularly non-hydratable phospholipids (NHPS) stabilized by Ca and Mg
- Other metals prone to cause catalyst deactivation, fouling or corrosion issues
- Impurities like soaps, chlorine and sugars arising from greater feedstock variety
- Required content of less than 1 ppm possible for many contaminants
Contaminants removed in the renewable Diesel process
PRETREATMENT
- Phosphatides like lecithin and phosphatidylinosit to prevent catalyst poisoning
- Particularly non-hydratable phospholipids (NHPS) stabilized by Ca and Mg
- Other metals prone to cause catalyst deactivation, fouling or corrosion issues
- Impurities like soaps, chlorine and sugars arising from greater feedstock variety
- Required content of less than 1 ppm possible for many contaminants
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