Hero BX adopts cavitation tech to reduce catalyst use, monos
Photo: Hero BX
April 27, 2012
BY Arisdyne Systems Inc.
The Arisdyne Systems cavitation process has allowed biodiesel producer Hero BX to reduce catalyst consumption by more than 25 percent and contributed to the reduction of monoglycerides since its installation at the plant.
“Hero BX and Desmet Ballestra worked together with Arisdyne to test Arisdyne's cavitation process,” said John Schenker, Hero BX plant manager. “After two months of testing, we proved that the technology demonstrated significant cost savings, streamlined operations and improved overall output of biodiesel at our plant.”
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Cavitation's extremely high shear forces accelerate and optimize biodiesel reactions within current plant configurations. This contributes to increased reaction capacity with minimal electrical demand, and without degrading downstream process capacities.
Arisdyne's patented Controlled Flow Cavitation process generates intense energy peaks in the form of extreme shear forces, resulting in nanosized droplets. This enables optimum mass transfer for instantaneous transesterification, which leads to greater catalyst savings.
Arisdyne's system is easily installed without the need for production shutdown, saving about three weeks of production output.
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“In today's weak economic conditions, margin improvement is everything,” said Peter Reimers, president and CEO of Arisdyne. “CFC can be applied to the entire value chain for oleochemical processes, starting with yield enhancement in the refining-degumming step and, now, as well in biodiesel catalyst savings. Biodiesel producers are faced with uncertain industry policy. Having catalyst savings and yield improvements in degumming, neutralization of crude oils is crucial to the oils and fat processing industries.”
Hero BX is a dba (“doing business as”) of Lake Erie Biofuels LLC, which started operations in 2007 and is Pennsylvania's first large-scale biodiesel production facility. A fully accredited BQ-9000 producer of biodiesel, the company is the leading producer of biodiesel in the northeastern U.S. Its onsite laboratory for ASTM D6751 testing guarantees its biodiesel surpasses all accepted industry standards for performance and quality.
Arisdyne Systems Inc. is a leading provider of retrofit equipment and value-creating services for vegetable oil refiners, biodiesel, fuel ethanol and biogas producers. Arisdyne specializes in designing small footprint devices that utilize controlled flow hydrodynamic cavitation and applies its cavitation technology to improve biodiesel production, to enhance vegetable oil yields, and to increase efficiency in ethanol, biogas and other fuel production.
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