Luis Gutiérrez

Process integration possibilities for biodiesel production from palm oil using ethanol obtained from lignocellulosic residues of oil palm industry.

In this paper, integration possibilities for production of biodiesel and bioethanol using a single source of biomass as a feedstock (oil palm) were explored through process simulation. The oil extracted from Fresh Fruit Bunches was considered as the feedstock for biodiesel production. An extractive reaction process is proposed for transesterification reaction using in situ produced ethanol, which is obtained from two types of lignocellulosic residues of palm industry (Empty Fruit Bunches and Palm Press Fiber). Several ways of integration were analyzed. The integration of material flows between ethanol and biodiesel production lines allowed a reduction in unit energy costs down to 3.4%, whereas the material and energy integration leaded to 39.8% decrease of those costs. The proposed integrated configuration is an important option when the technology for ethanol production from biomass reaches such a degree of maturity that its production costs be comparable with those of grain or cane ethanol.

Analysis of a reactive extraction process for biodiesel production using a lipase immobilized on magnetic nanostructures

Magnetic nanoparticles were prepared by coprecipitating Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) ions in a sodium hydroxide solution and used as support for lipase. The lipase-coated particles were applied in a reactive extraction process that allowed separation of the products formed during transesterification. Kinetics data for triolein and ethanol consumption during biodiesel (ethyl oleate) synthesis together with a thermodynamic phase equilibrium model (liquid-liquid) were used for simulation of batch and continuous processes. The analysis demonstrated the possibility of applying this biocatalytic system in the reactive zone using external magnetic fields. This approach implies new advantages in efficient location and use of lipases in column reactors for producing biodiesel.

Process Synthesis for Fuel Ethanol Production

Biofuels Biofuels Generalities Gasoline Oxygenation Ethanol as a Gasoline Oxygenate Gasoline Oxygenation Programs with Fuel Ethanol in Some Countries Process Design and Role of Process Synthesis Conceptual Process Design Knowledge-Based Process Synthesis Optimization-Based Process Synthesis Final Considerations Feedstocks for Fuel Ethanol Production Sugars Starchy Materials Lignocellulosic Materials Feedstock Conditioning and Pretreatment Conditioning of Sucrose-Containing Materials Pretreatment of Starchy Materials Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass Detoxification of Pretreated Biomass Hydrolysis of Carbohydrate Polymers Starch Saccharification Hydrolysis of Cellulose Microorganisms for Ethanol Production Metabolic Features of Ethanol-Producing Microorganisms Nongenetically Modified Microorganisms for Ethanol Production Genetically Modified Microorganisms for Ethanol Production Ethanolic Fermentation Technologies Description of Main Fermentation Technologies for Ethanol Production Modeling of Ethanolic Fermentation for Process Design Purposes Analysis of Fed-Batch Ethanolic Fermentation Dynamics of Continuous Fermentation Systems Analysis of Ethanol Recovery and Dehydration Concentration and Rectification of Ethanol Contained in Culture Broths Ethanol Dehydration Evaluation of Separation and Dehydration Schemes Integrated Processes for Fuel Ethanol Production Process Integration Reaction-Reaction Integration for Bioethanol Production Reaction-Separation Integration for Bioethanol Production Separation-Separation Integration for Bioethanol Production Environmental Aspects of Fuel Ethanol Production Effluent Treatment during Fuel Ethanol Production Environmental Performance of Fuel Ethanol Production Technological Configurations for Fuel Ethanol Production in the Industry Ethanol Production from Sucrose-Containing Materials Ethanol Production from Starchy Materials Ethanol Production from Lignocellulosic Materials Role of Energy Integration during Process Synthesis Food Security versus Fuel Ethanol Production Crop Potentials for Food and Energy Bioethanol and Fossil Oil Dependence Bioenergy and Transgenics Bioenergy and Food Market Bioenergy and Food Security Project Concluding Remarks Perspectives and Challenges in Fuel Ethanol Production Feedstocks Process Engineering Food Security Impacts Environmental Impacts Index References appear at the end of each chapter.