Successful verification of the 200,000 tons/year second-generation biodiesel production process at Qingdao Institute of Energy

Changyou Bioenergy’s 200,000 tons per year second-generation biodiesel plant is the first in China to adopt a combined process of fluidized-bed hydrogenation pretreatment and fixed-bed hydrogenation. Utilizing the ZKBH homogeneous molecular catalysis technology developed by the Qingdao Institute of Energy Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences – a technology that differs significantly from foreign technologies – the company was able to transform its coal tar hydrogenation plant. This transformation enabled Changyou Bioenergy to shift from traditional energy chemicals to the biofuel and green energy industry, facilitating a transition between old and new forms of energy production. As a result, Changyou Bioenergy has become the company in China with the largest capacity for producing second-generation biodiesel.

In 2019, the Qingdao Institute of Energy Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences made a significant breakthrough in the field of homogeneous catalysis for heavy oil molecules. It developed an advanced “ZKBH homogeneous hydrogenation” technology, which features the use of liquid catalysts and a homogeneous hydrogenation reactor design. This technology enables the processing of waste mineral oils with all their components as well as renewable biological oils; it not only facilitates the recycling of waste oils but is also particularly suitable for the production of second-generation green biodiesel.

In May 2020, the industrial upgrading project for ZKBH, whose process features liquid catalytic bubbling-bed hydrogenation combined with solid catalytic hydrogenation for deoxygenation and quality improvement, was officially launched at Changyou Bioenergy Company. The first phase aims to process 200,000 tons of biomass oils to produce second-generation biodiesel. On July 30, 2020, the two parties completed all equipment adjustments and process modifications, and the unit began formal trial operation; successful trial running was achieved on August 6. At present, all the units are operating stably, with a biodiesel yield of over 80% in production, which is at the world’s advanced level; the product quality meets the standards required for export to the European Union.

It is estimated that once the renovation of the 1 million tons per year biodiesel plant in Phase 2 is completed, sales revenue of around 10.4 billion yuan can be generated, with an annual profit of 1 billion yuan and tax payments of about 400 million yuan per year. It will also create approximately 500 job opportunities. At the same time, as an emerging energy source, biodiesel expands the **structure and composition of energy sources, addressing many of the problems associated with fossil diesel. It not only improves and optimizes the energy structure, addressing the weaknesses in energy strategies, but also makes full use of resources while conserving them, thereby minimizing environmental damage and carbon emissions. It is a growing industry that is circular, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, offering significant economic and social benefits. (Reporter from Economic Daily: Liu Cheng; Correspondent: Chen Song) Source: Economic Daily News App

Exhibitions, Knowledge, Video Downloads – Please enter keywords. My Coal Network > News > New Energy > Technical Materials > Latest Research Advances in Second-Generation Biodiesel. Latest Research Advances in Second-Generation Biodiesel. Technical Materials. 2020-07-30. Latest Research Advances in Second-Generation Biodiesel. Zhang Huatao1, Yin Fushan2 (1. China Cleaning Products Industry Association, Beijing 100740)； 2. School of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214036, Jiangsu) Abstract: First-generation biodiesel, with fatty acid methyl esters as its main components, still faces some issues in practical applications. Second-generation biodiesel production technologies centered on the deep hydrogenation of aliphatic hydrocarbons have seen rapid development in recent years. The reaction principles, process flows, and technical approaches for producing second-generation biodiesel using different processes are reviewed and discussed. 　　Biodiesel refers to a substitute for petroleum-based diesel that is produced from animal and plant oils as raw materials. The first generation of biodiesel consists mainly of fatty acid mono-alcohol esters, with methyl esters being the most common. Since the first methoxide production plant using 10,000-ton batches of rapeseed oil was put into operation in Austria in 1990. The global biodiesel production in 2007 was estimated to be over 7 million tons; in Europe alone, the production capacity reached 13 million tons, making it the fastest-growing and most produced type within the oil and fat chemicals industry. 　　Compared to conventional diesel derived from oil, fatty acid methyl esters have many advantages: a high cetane number and good combustion performance ； Low sulfur content, minimal pollution ； The molecule contains oxygen, which helps with combustion and reduces carbon monoxide emissions ； High flash point, safe to use ； Use renewable raw materials, etc. On the other hand, however, biodiesel presents several problems in its use: depending on the saturation level of the carbon chains in the raw materials used, if the saturation level is high, as in the case of palm oil, beef tallow, and sheep fat, the methyl esters produced have a high freezing point; this makes them prone to precipitating and blocking the delivery pipelines when used in cold weather. As a result, it cannot be used as a raw material for producing biodiesel in Europe during winter ； If the saturation level is low, for example, methyl esters produced from rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, etc., tend to oxidize and deteriorate easily due to their high content of unsaturated bonds; they are not easy to store and this affects their performance. Despite many studies and improvements in recent years, the molecular structure of methyl ester biodiesel has not changed fundamentally, and as a result its basic properties remain unchanged as well. 　　Thus, attention was turned to altering the molecular structure of oils to transform them into aliphatic hydrocarbons. In this way, it has a molecular structure more similar to that of petroleum-based diesel, making it easier to use. Within just a few years, the above ideas quickly turned into reality, and large-scale industrialization has already begun and is ongoing, giving rise to second-generation biodiesel.

I hope technology can create value; it shouldn’t be just a gimmick!

A scale of 200,000 tons should be considered an industrial production scale

Apart from the market, another bottleneck for second-generation biodiesel is the raw materials. Li Lin revealed that for the production of biodiesel, waste oils such as gutter oil can be used entirely. Influenced by dining habits, China has high consumption of edible oils. Coupled with the increasing demand for the harmless and resourceful utilization of waste oils, the supply of raw materials should be sufficient. “ However, the sources and quality of waste cooking oil in the domestic market remain unstable; at present, in addition to collecting waste cooking oil, we also import raw materials such as acidified and rancid palm oil from places like Malaysia. It is hoped that in the future, a comprehensive system for collecting used cooking oil will be established. ” As Li Lin said, for most manufacturing enterprises in our country, obtaining raw materials remains a challenge. “In Europe and other regions, it is often small and medium-sized enterprises that are engaged in the production of second-generation biodiesel. The sources of gutter oil are scattered, making it difficult to collect them uniformly; it is hard to organize the production of hundreds of thousands of tons at once. ”Yin Qiang, deputy secretary-general of the China Petroleum Distribution Association, pointed out that in most areas of the country, the gutter oil collected as \"raw material\" has not yet entered any distribution chain; poor channels mean that the whereabouts of much of this gutter oil remain unknown. Another producer who wished to remain anonymous said that buyers and sellers usually agree on specific criteria for acquisition, but due to the large variations in the quality of used oils and the difficulties in testing them, disputes often arise in the absence of standardized testing methods, resulting in high risks associated with the procurement of raw materials.

Sanju Environmental Protection’s Hebi Phase II biodiesel capacity expansion https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3078212-1-1.html (Source: Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum)