Flash Evaporator and Methanol Recovery

Vacuum Evaporators are utilized in several unit operations in the production of Biodiesel Fuel, such as the methanol stripping and methyl ester dehydration steps.

Most biodiesel in the US is made from vegetable oils, such as soybean but also from waste cooking oil, animal fats, and fatty acids, by reacting with methanol in the presence of a catalyst. The chemical process known as transesterification, breaks down the triglycerides into methyl ester (which is the bio-diesel) and glycerol, where these two streams are separated by decanting or centrifuge. To force the reaction to completion, an excess amount of methanol is used, which is then stripped from each stream using vacuum flash evaporators.

The methyl ester stream is further processed and then many times water washed to remove any remaining catalyst, soap, salts, methanol, or free glycerol from the biodiesel.

At this point the biodiesel contains a small amount of water which must be removed to meet ASTM D 6751-02 requirements. A vacuum flash evaporator is used for this step.

Wintek has the expertise in the design and manufacture of process vacuum and solvent recovery systems and can help you in the efficient and reliable design of these sections of your biodiesel plant.