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Only about two-thirds of the world’s production of fats and oils is considered edible for humans, or suitable as feedstuffs for animals. The rest can be used either directly to generate energy by incineration, or as a raw material for biofuels and oleochemicals. In some contexts, such fuels are considered a beneficial alternative to fossil fuels.

Processing of fats and oils in biofuel production

Meeting individual requirements

Alfa Laval technologies help boost the commercial viability of processing suitable fats and oils into different kinds of biofuels.

Alfa Laval pre-treatment lines can also be configured to make them suitable for processing both edible oil feedstock and biofuel components. There are four alternative pre-treatment processes:

  • Steam distillation (stripping)
  • Alkali neutralization for removing free fatty acids
  • Enzymatic degumming in cases when such removal is not necessary
  • Advanced glycerol treatment (AGT) - see below.

We provide the exact set-up and equipment mix needed to deal with each customer’s particular processes and requirements.

Turnkey plants for biodiesel and oleochemicals

Alfa Laval processing lines are complete turnkey systems for producing ASTM6751 or EN14214-compliant biodiesel on the basis of a wide range of oils, of either vegetable or animal origin.

Versatile, modular biodiesel plants are in widespread use to replace fossil-based diesel as fuel. The pre-treatment process can also be used to reduce free fatty acid (FFA) content and to produce oleochemicals.

Pre-treatment with glycerol (AGT)

Biodiesel producers, meat renderers and companies that collect used cooking oil (UCO) can all benefit from adding an advanced glycerol treatment (AGT) set-up for pre-treatment.

The cost-effective and energy-efficient AGT process converts high-FFA, low-value by-products into low-FFA straight vegetable oil (SVO), heavy fuel oil (HFO) or oleochemicals.

Transesterification

Alfa Laval supplies different types of biodiesel plants that can use either edible fats and oils or low-cost, inedible feedstock based on fats, oils and grease (FOG):

  • “Virgin oil” transesterification technology for continuous biodiesel processing
  • “Multi-feedstock” technology for biodiesel batch processing lines.