SPOTLIGHT | Pretreatment: What is it, and Why is it Essential When Using Difficult Feedstocks?
June 6, 2024
BY Biodiesel Magazine
Biofuels are becoming increasingly prevalent in the transportation industry as global production climbs to around 175 billion liters (approximately 46.2 billion gallons) per year. As data provided by the International Energy Agency suggests, manufacturers are rapidly increasing capacities to meet insatiable demand. However, they are facing multiple challenges, especially regarding feedstocks. To overcome these hurdles, it is crucial for producers to be strategically located to access a greater variety of biobased feedstocks. Additionally, production facilities must include pretreatment units and possess the expertise to process more difficult feedstocks when producing renewable fuels.
The pretreatment unit is a critical addition to biofuel manufacturing plants because it ensures safe, stable and more economically viable operations. The pretreatment process involves multiple tasks, such as removal of gums, phosphorus, metals and other impurities to prevent fouling, corrosion, unexpected downtimes and catalyst deactivation. Ultimately, pretreatment protects the core of the fuel production process, whether it’s hydro processing for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel or transesterification for biodiesel. The return on investment in the pretreatment process can be measured in the extended life of the catalyst and maximized production yields.
Manufacturers are learning that multiple oil types, whether blends or waste-type feedstocks commonly used in biofuel production, often do not offer the same quality and stability as crude vegetable oils. Their compositions can change daily, affecting impurity levels and the complexity of their removal. To tackle the broadest range of critical impurities, various physical or chemical pretreatment technologies like degumming and adsorption can be utilized as standalone or best in combination.
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Clariant’s TONSILTM series offers an effective solution to these production challenges by efficiently removing impurities from various feedstocks, including fresh vegetable feedstock to agricultural byproducts or waste oils and fats. This ensures the feedstock meets the standards required by catalyst and equipment manufacturers, and that it is thoroughly purified before undergoing further processing. Using TONSIL enables operators to adapt to changing conditions, fine-tune their production processes, uphold reliability across their operations and reduce the total cost of ownership.
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