Adsorptive Removal of Contaminants from Fats and Oils for Production of Bio Fuels

The surging global appetite for renewable or biofuels, particularly in the US is driving a rapid expansion in biodiesel and renewable fuel from Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) production capacity, encompassing both renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). However, this increasing demand confronts a critical hurdle: limited sustainable feedstock. Conventional sources like canola, corn, and soy raise concerns about land-use competition and food security, necessitating the exploration of alternative feedstocks with a lower environmental footprint and potentially higher incentives. Used cooking oil and waste animal fats, with their abundance and high lipids, oils, and fats content, emerge as promising candidates in addition to the conventional feedstock. Yet, technical challenges remain. Impurities within these feedstocks pose significant difficulties during the hydrotreatment process, reducing catalyst life and efficiency. To fully leverage these promising feedstocks, optimum pre-treatment methods, and process conditions are crucial – technically and economically.

This study looks at the removal of these contaminants by finding optimal adsorbents and process conditions that lead to an optimized pretreatment operation to ever-varying feedstock qualities with or without pre-washing technology, thus providing excellent protection for the catalyst used during the hydrotreating process. The use of clay-mineral-based adsorbents has been shown to better remove these contaminants through the process of adsorption and a reduction in waste generation which can result in significant cost savings during the production of biofuels.