Sary Awad

Optimization of biodiesel production from animal fat residue in wastewater using response surface methodology

Animal fat residues (AFR) from waste water were used as feedstock to produce biodiesel by a two-step acid-catalyzed process. Treatment of the AFRs with 5.4% (w/w) of 17 M H2SO4 at a methanol/AFR ratio of 13:1 (50%w/w) at 60 °C converted more than 95% of the triglycerides into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) with an acid value (AV) of 1.3 mgKOH/gbiodiesel. Response surface methodology indicated that a lower AV cannot be reached using a one-step acid catalyzed process. Thus a two-step acid catalyzed process was employed using 3.6% catalyst and 30% methanol for 5 h for the first step and 1.8% catalyst and 10% methanol for 1 h in the second step, resulting in a yield higher than 98% and an AV of 0.3 mgKOH/gbiodiesel. The product thus conforms to the European norm EN14214 concerning biodiesel.

Experimental study on the production of diesel-like fuel from waste high density polyethylene via non-catalytic pyrolysis

Plastics have become an indispensable part of our daily life. Due to its non biodegradable nature it cannot be easily disposed off. Pyrolysis is a tertiary recycling method which can convert plastics into valuable petroleum resources. In this work, pyrolysis of waste high density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic was carried out in a fixed bed reactor heated for a final temperature of 500°C under a heating rate of 10°C/min. Direct pyrolysis led to wax production while a two step pyrolysis (setup 1) led to the production of 32.7% liquid and 65.3% gas. Thus a setup with reflux (setup 2) was designed and the liquid yield increased to 78.2%. The liquid fractions obtained were analyzed for composition using a gas chromatograph coupled to a Mass spectrometer and a flame ionization detector (GC-MS-FID). Specific diesel-like fuel production, as reported to HDPE mass, with setup 2 was estimated to be 2.3 times higher than setup 1 The physical properties of the pyrolytic oil (viscosity, density) were found to be lower than that of diesel fuel due to the presence of light compounds.

Biodiesel Production Unit from Lab Scale to Industrial Pilot Plant: Material and Energy Balance

The modern society is, nowadays, facing two major problems: the energy sources depletion and the degradation of the ecologic system because of wastes rejection. The energetic valorization of wastes contributes on the resolution of both problems. In the present work, a feasibility study of an industrial pilot scale installation for the production of biodiesel from waste grease traps is lead. The installation is meant to transform 1000 tons of fat trap grease per year to biodiesel by transesterification. The daily production of the unit reaches 3200 l of biodiesel. All necessary equipments were sized following process engineering design and based on lab scale optimization experiments. Installation energy balance was also realized and it showed that the energy required for the installation functioning does not exceed 3.5% of the heating value of produced biodiesel.