HomeMy WebLinkAboutC.054.93011_1642Commisstoer Robertson: The methanol isn't pre -heated. Correct?
Joy M. Polley: The methanol is batch fed to the reactor following the ROD -- triglcerides --the oil and then
catalyst is last. The resulting contents are brought up 60 degrees centigrade for the reaction to occur, and
it's an endothermic -the reaction consumes heat. If you take heat away, it stops
Commissioner Robertson: So the methanol is never heated up alone?
Jay M. Railey: No.
Commissioner Robertson. And that's when methanol is most combustible and would create the highest
pressures If you would heat it up alone.
Jay M. Railey. That is correct.
Commissioner Robertson: What sort of pressures are we looking at in your reactor vessel.?
Jay M. Railey: Atmospheric pressure or lower because the resulting materials are removed under vacuum.
Commissioner Robertson: So we don't have a pressured vessel that's likely to go boom then?
Jay M Poiley: No sir. And it has an ASM (American Society of Mechanical Engineering) coded vessel with
specific safety relief devices on it to keep it from overpressuring.
Commissioner Robertson: Alt right There is usually some residual methanol in the glycerin by-product. You
say youi'e going to be running an ion exchange ....?
Jay Al. Railey: The methanol is recovered from the biodiese/ material post reaction and post separation of
the glycerin and then the biodiesel is cleaned with a resin that absorbs residual catalyst salt, a trace of
glycerin, a trace of triglyceride thots there to make o product that can be put in engines
Commissioner Robertson: So the glycerin by-product that has to be -- it's a by-product -- it's not a waste
cause ...
Joy M. Railey: Its a by-product that is commonly used in the cosmetics industry, it's an edible material. It
does have methanol in it when it exits the reactor and that is removed as part of the process Then the
resulting crudeglycerin would then be re -refined to recover it at another location.
Commissioner Robertson: So would that storedglycerin have -- what sort of methanol content would be in it
at that time?
Jay M. Radey: Its actually removed prior to storage.
Commissioner Robertson: So there is none at storage.
Jay M. Rai/ey: M sir.
Conmissioxr Robertson: This facility is going -- the plan is to use soybeans, hopefully, in the future its
supposed to convert over to some higher yielding oil seed stocks like sunflower, cano/a. But also oils or fats or
whatever as animal by-products are going to be used as a source material in this facility as well. Correct?
Joy M. Railey: Any fat can be used as a raw material The raw material design for right now is for soybean
oil, canola oil, sunflower seed oil With proper pretreatment, yes Animal fat could be re -used -- yellowgrease.
Commissioner Robertson: And those require different manufacturing process
Joy M. Ratiey: The same manufacturing process but they may require initial removal of whats called free -
fatty acids prior to the introduction of the reaction. It makes too much water, and mess up the catalyst if
those materials are allowed to stay in there -- not typically done.
Comumissioer Robertson: So you've made accommodations to run two different -- basically to have a pre-
treatment if you're running animal fats.
Jay M. Railey. Yes.
Commissioner Robertson: What limits your capacity? We've heard the figure tonight of 6 million gallons.
Usually there's a choke point or a bottleneck that makes that a 6 million gallon annual facility. What is that
bottleneck in this process.?
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